Pokemon: Brotherhood
by DarkSlash9
Summary: Ash is a loser. He's hated by most girls, is in the Computer Club, and is awkward. His mute fraternal twin brother, Red, is a popular guy in their school, star of the Lacrosse and Soccer teams, and loved by all the girls. Despite their different lives, they'll always be brothers. What happens when a pair of attractive twin girls come to their school? Ash x May, Red x Serena.
1. Beginnings

**Hello! My name is DarkSlash9.**

**I know the whole high school theme is pretty overused, but I'll try my best to make this story worth reading. Enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

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**Chapter 1**

Beginnings

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The morning sun shone brightly on the beautiful region of Kanto. A region filled with beautiful pokemon, people, and cities. Deep in the heart of this wonderful region lay Pallet Town, a small town with wonderful people happy to help you in any way they could. This, reader, is where our story begins...

"BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP." beeped an alarm clock.

"Ugh... crap... school." grumbled a teen as he turned off the alarm clock.

This teen was none other than a 16 year old boy by the name of Ashton Ketchum, or Ash for short. He was 5 feet and 9 inches tall, tan, and had messy black hair. His chocolate brown eyes darted around the room, looking for his glasses. He found them resting next to the alarm clock, where he left them. He picked them up and put them on. Once he could see properly, he turned his head to the left, to see another bed on the other side of the room. In it, asleep, was someone Ash knew very well. His fraternal twin brother, Redwood Ketchum, or Red for short.

"Red, get up... Summer Break is over... today's the first day of school..." said Ash unhappily.

Ash dreaded school everyday. It wasn't exactly fun for him. He was seen by most people as a nerd, with not many friends and an awkward personality. Of course, this affected his luck with girls. Most girls hated him, and if they didn't, they just thought he was weird. He had tried to ask out girls before, and it never ended well. He wasn't very good at sports either. He had the coordination of a blind man. His teeth were lined with braces, that sometimes gave him a speech impediment. He had two Z-shaped birth marks on his cheeks, which lead to people cracking jokes that he "survived Voldemort twice". Overall, he really didn't have much going for him.

His brother Red was much more fortunate. He had no reason to hate school. He stood 3 inches taller than Ash, and had the same black hair, just not as messy. His skin was nowhere near as tan as Ash's, and he didn't have Z's on his cheeks. His eyes were also brown, just a shade lighter than Ash's. He was the star of both the Soccer and Lacrosse teams, leading both teams to regional championships every year. He was one of the most popular guys in their school, girls throwing themselves at him everyday. And to top it all off, he had a smile that could cause any girl to pass out from the beauty of it. The only thing that he lacked was a voice. At birth, his vocal cords had to be surgically removed, due to a rare, potentially life-threatening disease that was growing in them.

Even though their social lives were polar opposites, they were as close as could be.

"Come on Red, get up." said Ash as he made his way across the room to Red, who was still asleep in his bed.

Ash shook his brother into consciousness, abruptly waking him. Red open his eyes, dazed and confused. He then squinted his eyes at Ash, expressing how annoyed he was about Ash's method of waking him.

"Don't look at me like that. I _tried_ to wake you up normally. Desperate times call for desperate measures." said Ash.

Red rolled his eyes and got out of bed. He walked over to a drawer and pulled out a red towel.

"You wanna shower first?" asked Ash.

Red nodded his head as he walked out of the room, leaving Ash to think about how much fun he wasn't going to have at school. Ash stood in the room for countless minutes, thinking about life. Red had it all. He had looks, skills, and girls. Ash had none of that. At times, Ash envied his brother's good fortune. There were countless times Ash wondered what it would be like if they switched lives for a day. But of course, that wasn't physically possible. Ash sighed, as he sat on Red's bed. As soon as he sat, he realized he sat _on _something. He stood up and turned around to find Red's Raichu, gasping for air.

"Whoops. Sorry Raichu." said Ash.

"Rai rai chu chuuu..." grumbled Raichu.

"Hey, can you wake up Pikachu? I'm gonna go rush Red out of the shower. He's taking too long, as usual." said Ash.

Raichu nodded his head and scurried over the Ash's bed, attempting to wake up Ash's Pikachu. Ash left the room, and headed for the bathroom, towel in hand. Ash knocked on the bathroom door.

"Red! Hurry up! I need to shower too!" called Ash.

As soon as he spoke, Ash heard the shower stop. A few minutes later, Red opened the door, grinned, and threw a handful of soapy foam at Ash's face. He then quickly closed the door, and resumed his shower.

"Dammit Red! If I wasn't wearing my glasses, you could've gotten soap in my eyes!" growled Ash.

Ash, not planning on waiting any longer, kicked the bathroom door open, to find Red already finished taking his shower. He was just running the water, to make it sound like he was still taking a shower. Ash was beyond irritated. Red only made it worse by laughing hysterically. Of course his laugh was silent, but it had the same effect.

Ash picked up a tube of toothpaste and threw it at Red, who dodged it. Red then left the bathroom, snickering.

Once the boys were finished showering and dressing up, it was time for breakfast.

They entered the kitchen, where their mother, Delia Ketchum, was cooking.

"Good Morning boys!" said Delia happily.

"Good Morning Mom, what's for breakfast?" asked Ash, his stomach grumbling.

"Eggs and Bacon. Sit down at the table; it's almost ready." said Delia, not taking her eyes off the stove.

Ash and Red sat down, ready to demolish their mother's wonderful cooking. There was a long silence, only broken by the bacon sizzling in Delia's frying pan. In order to make things interesting, Delia decided to start a conversation.

"So boys, did you hear about how your school district expanded it's borders?"

Red tilted his head in question, while Ash spoke up. "Huh? Really?"

"Yup. We received a letter in the mail yesterday, along with a list of all the new students." said Delia, handing Ash the letter.

Ash picked up the letter and read it aloud.

"_Dear Parents and Students,_

_I hope you all had a happy and healthy Summer Break. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the recent expansion of our school district's borders. we have added an extra 10 square miles to our territory, and with this new area, comes new students. Attached to this sheet is a list of all the new students entering our school district, along with what class they are in. Students are encouraged to welcome these new additions to the Pallet Town School District with open arms. I look forward to a great school year.  
_

_ Warm regards,_

_ Samuel Oak,_

_ Superintendent of Pallet Town Schools."_

_"_Exciting, huh?" asked Delia.

Red smiled and nodded his head, while Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"Go ahead, read the list." said Delia, as she finished cooking the bacon.

Ash read the list aloud. Not really caring about the younger kids, he skipped to the part of the list that had the high school students.

_"James Anderson, Senior._

_Sarah Bond, Sophomore._

_May Maple, Junior._

_Serena Maple, Junior._

_Max Maple, Freshman._

_Kevin Smith, Freshman._

_Eric Wilson, Senior."_

"Hey, maybe those two girls.. May and Serena Maple, are twins, just like you guys! And they're both Juniors, just like you guys! Wouldn't it be cool if you both dated them?" said Delia, as she handed the boys their food.

"Cool, but highly unlikely." said Ash gloomily, as Delia left the room.

Red, knowing how negative his brother could be, pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times. He then took a napkin from the table and wrote on it. He then handed it to Ash, in an effort to cheer him up.

Ash looked at what was written on it.

_"Don't be so negative. I'm sure this school year will be better for you."_

Ash rolled his eyes and looked at Red. "You do realize that you say that every year, right?"

Red's eyes widened at the realization that he did, in fact, say that every year. Unable to think of a reply to Ash's good point, he began shoving his face with food, effectively escaping having to give a reply. Ash sighed and began solemnly eating his food. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence.

Soon, it was time to go to school. Ash and Red walked to school, since it was so close by.

"Bye Mom! We're leaving!" called Ash to their mother, who was upstairs.

"Wait, wait wait!" called Delia as she rushed down the stairs, a bag in hand. Don't forget your hats!"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." said Ash, while Red smiled in anticipation to see his new hat.

It had become a Ketchum Family tradition that Ash and Red would get a new hat before every school year. Delia pulled out two hats. One was red, with a white semi-circle on the front and a white visor(Ash's Kalos Region Hat), and one was red, with a white front, red visor, and a green symbol on the front (Ash's original hat.)  
Red immediately grabbed for the one with the white semi-circle, while Ash dashed towards the one with the green symbol. They both placed the hats on their heads and looked in the mirror, happy with their new hats.

Red, now in a festive mood, pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and wrote on a sheet of paper. He then handed Ash the sheet of paper and ran out the front door, waving goodbye to their mother.

"What's got into him?" asked Delia.

"I dunno." replied Ash, as he looked to read the paper.

_"I'll race you to the school! HAH! I got a head start."_

"Oh no you don't!" laughed Ash as he bolted out the door, leaving his mother very confused.

"Sometimes I just don't understand those boys..." she said as she closed the door and walked back upstairs.

* * *

Ash's burst of speed was very short lived. In a matter of minutes, Ash was already out of breath, walking. Red was nowhere in sight.

"No fair... he's much more athletic... _I_ should have gotten the head start." thought Ash aloud.

He continued the walk to school alone, until he was approached by a familiar figure. Ash's heart sank. He knew who it was, and it was the last person he wanted to see.

"Sup, loser." said the figure.

"What do you want from me, Kenny?" asked Ash, not making eye contact.

"Well, I came to teach you a lesson. I found out about that little stunt you tried to pull last year. You tried to ask out my girlfriend." said Kenny.

"Look, I had no idea you and Dawn were dating." said Ash.

"Bull-fucking-shit. You knew exactly what you were doing. You were trying to turn her against me." said Kenny, growing more and more irritated by the second.

"What does it matter? It's not like she actually said yes to me. She's still _your _girlfriend, so leave me alone." said Ash as he began to walk away.

"No, she's not my girlfriend anymore. She dumped me, and it's all your fault! You made her think I'm a jerk!" said Kenny, pulling Ash back by the arm.

"But you _are_ a jerk." said Ash, yanking his arm free from Kenny's grip.

"Oh yeah? You think you're funny?! I'll teach you some manners right now, smartass!" yelled Kenny as he punched Ash in the face.

Ash stumbled back, reeling into a tree, his nose bleeding. Kenny walked over to the tree that Ash was propped against, and prepared to punch Ash again. Ash closed his eyes, waiting for the hit, but it never connected. Ash opened his eyes, to see Kenny's fist being held by none other than his brother, Red, who had a deadly calm expression on his face.

"What the-" was all Kenny had time to say before Red knocked him out in one punch. Red then pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and wrote on Kenny's forehead. He then handed Ash a tissue to clean up the blood from his nose.

Ash read what Red wrote.

"_Don't fuck around with my brother. If you fuck around with my brother, you fuck around with me."_

"Thanks, Red." said Ash as he wiped the blood off of his nose.

Red smiled in response. After Ash had finished cleaning up all the blood from his face, Ash and Red walked to the school. In no time, they were in front of their school, Pallet Town High. Written under the banner with the school's name was "Home of the Pallet Town Rhyhorns! Kanto's Undefeated Soccer and Lacrosse Champs!". Ash sighed as he and Red entered the building. Immediately, as usual, people swarmed around Red, effectively separating Ash from Red.

Ash took out his cell phone and sent Red a text message, since speaking to him was no longer an option.

**_"I'm going to the nurse's office to make sure my nose is okay. Seeya later. -Ash."_**

Almost immediately, Red replied.

_**"Yeah, that's a good idea. Bye.**_

_**P.S. Try not to be so gloomy. It's a brand new school year. Try to make the best of it. -Red."**_

Ash put his phone in his pocket, and walked towards the nurse's office. Halfway there, two girls bumped into him. One had long, honey blonde hair, and cyan eyes. The other had shorter, brown hair, and sapphire eyes. They were both pretty, but the one with brown hair really caught Ash's attention.

"Oh, we're sorry. We're new here, would you happen to know where Professor Rowan's classroom is?" asked the blonde one.

"Hi I'm Ashton Ketchum. But you can call me Ash. Professor Rowan's room is down that hallway, second door on the left." said Ash awkardly.

"Umm... thanks," said the blonde one, slightly bothered by Ash's awkward personality. "I'm Serena Maple, and this is my fraternal twin sister, May."

"Hello." said May kindly.

"H-hi." said Ash, blushing. He quickly scurried away towards the nurse's office, not wanting May to see him blushing.

_"What's wrong with me?! I just met her and I'm already blushing! How is that even possible! It can't be love at first sight, that's irrational! UGH, this is exactly why people think I'm weird!" _thought Ash as he entered the Nurse's office.

"Hello, how can I help you?" asked Nurse Joy.

"I fell and landed on my face." lied Ash. "I just want to know if my nose is okay."

"Take a seat, I'll be with you in a minute." said Nurse Joy.

Ash sat down, thinking about his encounter with the Maples, specifically May.

_"She sure was pretty though."_

* * *

After the swarm around him finally dispersed, Red sighed in relief. He opened his backpack and looked at his schedule. It seemed his first class of the day was Mathematics, taught by Professor Rowan. He walked to the classroom, ignoring all the girls sending flirty looks towards him. Sometimes Red loathed his popularity. Mostly the girls. Red had multiple ex-girlfriends, and he never really liked any of them. _They'd _ask _him_ out, not the other way around. And Red, not wanting to hurt their feelings, would always say yes.

There was not one girlfriend he had that he really wanted to be with, which is why he was the one to always end the relationships. This made him come off as a heart-breaker to some girls, but that didn't stop them from throwing themselves at him anyway. It was annoying.

When Red finally reached Professor Rowan's room, there was a crowd of people outside of it. It seemed Professor Rowan hadn't opened the door of his classroom yet, so Red deduced that the crowd was his classmates for first period. he recognized everybody there, except for two girls. Unknown to Red, these were the same two girls that bumped into Ash earlier. Red thought they were both pretty, but the sight of Serena sent chills down his spine. She was beautiful.

Red walked over to them and waved enthusiastically.

"Hello. I'm Serena Maple. What's your name?" said Serena.

Red pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and a notebook. He quickly scribbled his name into the notebook and showed Serena.

"_Redwood Ketchum. But you can call me Red._" read Serena aloud. "Hi Red. Do you have a brother or something? We just met a kid named Ash with the same last name."

Red nodded his head enthusiastically, completely absorbed in Serena's beauty.

"_He's my twin brother._" wrote Red.

"Cool, we're twins too!' said May.

"Why aren't you speaking, Red?" asked Serena, raising an eyebrow.

Red quickly scribbled another sentence into his notebook.

_"When I was born I had a disease that resulted in my vocal cords being removed."_

"Wow, so you're mute?" asked May, astonished.

Red nodded his head and smiled. What happened next surprised Red. Neither May nor Serena had a reaction to his smile. Usually girls blushed or had some kind of positive reaction when he smiled. It happened so often he was kinda used to it. But there they were, acting as if nothing ever happened. This just made Red like Serena even more, somehow.

Before Serena or May could ask any more questions, a voice was heard.

"NO WAY! RED'S IN OUR CLASS!" screamed a girl from behind him. Red's eyes immediately widened, knowing what was coming next.

"OMG! He's so hot!" shouted another girl.

"Redwood Ketchum! YOU WILL BE MY HUSBAND ONE DAY!" screamed yet another girl.

And like lightning, Red was swept away from May and Serena by a swarm of girls. Red struggled to free himself from their grasp, but could not. To make matters worse, he saw a certain scumbag by the name of Kenny, who had washed Red's message off his face, make his way towards Serena and May.

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**Thanks for reading! Til next chapter, adios.  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	2. Crushes

**Yo. Serena may seem OOC in this story. Then again, she's a new character, so we don't know her full personality yet.  
**

**As you may of may not have known, I answer any questions I get in reviews. So here's some Q&amp;A.  
**

Ultratron562

Pretty good so far, I always thought May and Serena looked a lot alike, glad that that I voted for this.

**Answer: I know, this one's not a question, but I had to respond to this review. THANK YOU. When I first saw Serena, I too thought she looked ridiculously similar to May. Glad there's someone out there who agrees.**

Qruis

okay... i like it but something doesn't fit in my mind... "Serena MAPLE", from what I know, in the fandom her last name is "Yvonne", but i guess i can get used to it. the same with the stereotypical nerd Ash. it was really nesesary to add the braces? And how Red can be mute? he speaks at the mangas... lets see what happends next ;)

**Answer: The braces are necessary. Having them adds to Ash's large amounts of insecurity and lowers his confidence. And I've never read the manga, so I didn't know Red could speak. I purposely made him mute for two reasons. The first reason is for running gags such as "Red's handy dandy black marker, which he has at all times". The other reason is that at some times, Red's inability to speak will become a major inconvenience or obstacle.**

**Okay, now that that's over, enjoy chapter 2: Crushes!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

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**Chapter 2**

Crushes

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Luckily, before Kenny could speak to the girls, Professor Rowan opened the door. Red had never been so happy to see a teacher in his life.

"Come on in students. Ladies, please stop suffocating Mr. Ketchum and enter the classroom." said Professor Rowan, not amused with the girls' antics over Red.

The girls reluctantly backed off from Red, and entered the classroom. Before entering the classroom, Red looked around for Kenny, who he saw walking down the hallway. Red felt a wave of relief wash over him. It seemed Kenny wasn't in his math class.

"Mr. Ketchum, are you going to enter the classroom or not?" asked Professor Rowan.

Red quickly walked into the classroom, adjusting his hat as he entered. Most of the girls sighed in adoration as he adjusted his hat, but Serena and May didn't. May didn't because she simply wasn't paying attention, but Serena saw it, and she had no response. Red was flabbergasted. Red was in love.

Professor Rowan closed the door behind him and ordered all the students to line up and wait for him to assign their seats. One by one he called the students names, telling them where to sit.

"Redwood Ketchum. Fourth Row, second desk."

Red walked to his assigned seat, and prayed that Serena's seat would be near his.

"Serena Maple. Fifth Row, second desk."

Red's head almost exploded in joy. Serena's seat was _right next to his! _Red could hardly contain his joy. He watched as Serena sat next to him, her beautiful cyan eyes looking out the window. Red spent 99.9% of the period watching Serena out of the corner of his eye, with a small smile on his face.

Little did he know, Serena was fully aware that he was sneaking glances at her.

* * *

By noon, lunch time had come. Ash entered the cafeteria, hungry as could be.

"Where's Red?...He said he'd pick our lunch table today." thought Ash aloud, as he looked around.

He finally spotted Red sitting at a table all the way in the back of the cafeteria. Ash walked over to the table and sat.

"Hey Red. How was your morning?" asked Ash.

Red pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and a notebook. He then proceeded to write about how his day was going. He then handed the sheet to Ash.

_"Well, I met Serena and May, those twin girls Mom was talking about. Apparently they've met you as well. They're both pretty, but Serena is DIVINE! I've never seen any girl as beautiful as her! And even better, HER SEAT IS NEXT TO MINE IN MATH!__ She's smart, kind, and beautiful! So, I guess you could say my morning went well. How's your day going?" _

"My morning has been pretty uneventful... when I met Serena and May, I kind of- what are you looking at?" said Ash, noticing Red wasn't paying attention anymore.

He turned his head in the direction Red's was turned. Ash's eyes widened. It was May and Serena, looking for a place to sit. It seemed like they were having trouble finding a table that could take in both of them. Ash then looked at the table he and Red were seated at. There was more than enough room for both girls, considering it was only Ash and Red at the table.

Ash looked at Red, and Red's facial expression said it all. He was going to invite May and Serena to their table. That was the last thing Ash wanted.

"Red, don't you dare-"

Red waved to Serena and May, ignoring Ash.

Out of the corner of her eye, May saw somebody waving their arm. She looked, to see two familiar boys, with enough space at their table.

"Hey look Serena, it's the Ketchums! Why don't we sit with them? It seems like Red want us to." said May.

"No." said Serena flatly.

"Why not?" asked May.

"I'd rather not." said Serena.

"Nonsense!" laughed May as she waved back at Red, blatantly disregarding Serena's will.

Ash felt chills down his spine when he saw May wave back. It sent even more chills down his spine when they started walking towards their table.

"Dude! WHY?!" whispered Ash.

Red gave Ash a questioning look.

"Well, maybe if you were paying attention, I would have gotten to tell you that when I met them today, I chickened out and ran, like an idiot! Now they might ask why!" whispered Ash.

_"Well, why DID you run from them?" _wrote Red with a straight face.

"I was blushin-"

"Hi Red, Hi Ash." said May as she and Serena arrived at the table, abruptly ending Ash and Red's conversation.

"Hey." said Serena disinterestedly.

"Hello." croaked Ash shyly, as Red smiled and waved.

"Is it okay if we sit with you guys?" asked May.

Red nodded his head. May sat down at the first seat she saw, while Serena purposely sat in a seat that distanced herself from both Ash _and _Red. They all took out their lunches and began eating. It was painfully silent. Deciding to break the ice, May spoke up.

"Soooo... Red, It seems you're quite the celebrity in this school." said May with a smile. "People say you're the captain of both the Soccer and Lacrosse teams, and you scored the winning goals at regional championships for both sports."

Red grinned and nodded his head, proud of his achievements. He shot a quick glance at Serena, to see if she was impressed. Serena was not impressed. In fact, she seemed more impressed with the flavor of her salad than Red's achievements.

"Wow, have you gotten any scholarships yet?" asked May.

Red nodded his head and put up 4 fingers.

"Four scholarships and you're not even a senior yet? That's really uncommon in a place like Kanto!" said May.

Red scratched the back of his head, flattered. May was about to ask Red yet another question, but she was cut off by Serena.

"So Ash, what do _you _ do?" said Serena, tired of hearing about how great Red was.

"Umm... I'm a computer programmer. I run the Computer Club after school on Tuesdays." said Ash quietly. "I also draw on my free time."

Nobody saw or heard, but Red silently chuckled when Ash mentioned drawing.

"That's interesting, our little brother Max likes computer stuff. Maybe he could join your club." said May, "Can I see your drawings?"

Ash looked up from his lunch to see May staring at him, waiting for an answer to her question. Ash felt that familiar sensation again. He was blushing. In an effort to hide it, he quickly turned around to open his backpack, looking for his sketch book. He purposely took a long time to take it out, giving his blush enough time to fade away. Unfortunately for Ash, as soon as he turned to hand May the book, the blush returned.

_"I guess there's no point in hiding it." _thought Ash. _"Maybe she wont notic-"_

"What's wrong Ash? Your cheeks are all red." asked May innocently.

_"Crap." _thought Ash.

Red deciding to help Ash out, intervened. He pointed to Ash, and then made a motion with two fingers that resembled someone running.

"I don't follow." said May, unable to decipher Red's gestures.

Red then pointed to Ash again, and made a gesture with his arms, simulating someone doing pull ups. He then added in a couple of other gestures and motions.

"What?" asked Serena, equally as confused as May.

"He's saying I just came from Phys. Ed. class, and my cheeks are red because I'm tired." said Ash, perfectly understanding Red's unique sign language. He then, while May and Serena weren't looking, quickly winked at Red, thanking him for the save.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh..." said both girls in unison.

May then opened the sketchbook, and turned the page. The first picture was of a poorly drawn Rapidash.

"Is... is this supposed to be a Blastoise?" asked May.

"No, that's definitely a Starmie." said Serena as she sipped her juice.

"You're both wrong, it's a Rapidash. See? There's it's hooves and that's it's face." said Ash.

"Oh, I think I see it now..." said May, turning the page. "Okay, this one is definitely a Kyogre!"

"It kinda looks like Arceus to me." said Serena.

"That's a Pidgey." sighed Ash, ashamed of his poor drawings.

"Damn, you suck at drawing." said a voice that belonged to none of them.

Red, Ash, May and Serena all looked at the source of the voice to find Kenny, smirking. Ash and Red's eyes immediately narrowed. May rolled her eyes, and Serena smiled.

"Oh hey Kenny, what's up?" asked Serena casually.

Red's eyes widened for a second in surprise, but then quickly turned back into narrow slits. Ash however, had a much more outspoken response.

"You girls are_ friends _with Kenny?" asked Ash, astonished.

"Yeah," said May uninterestedly, "Since childhood. Why?"

"Yeah Ketchum, why? You got a problem with that?" asked Kenny condescendingly.

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by the feeling of Red softly kicking his leg under the table. He quickly glanced at Red, who slowly shook his head, with a serious expression on his face. As much as Ash wanted to say something, Red was usually right when it came to situations like these, so Ash sighed and spoke.

"No, just curious." said Ash.

"Good." said Kenny. "So girls, there's some space for you at my table, wanna come sit with me and my friends?"

"Sure, I don't mind." said Serena quickly as she packed her stuff. "You coming May?"

May glanced at Ash and Red, who momentarily stopped glaring at Kenny to look at her. She hesitated for a second, and then sent Ash and Red apologetic looks. She then handed Ash his sketchbook and picked up her bags.

"Yeah, I'm coming." sighed May reluctantly. "Bye Red, Bye Ash."

"Bye." said Ash quietly.

Serena and May then walked away with Kenny, leaving just Ash and Red at the table.

"Why did you stop me? I could've told them about how much of an ass he is!" asked Ash.

Red pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and opened to a blank page in Ash's sketchbook. After writing down two sentences, he tossed the sketchbook back to Ash.

_"Who do you think they'll trust more: A childhood friend, or two random guys they just met? I stopped you because bad-mouthing Kenny will probably ruin our chances of dating them in the future."_

"Hey! What makes you think I want to date one of them anyway?!" asked Ash, as he folded his arms and looked away from Red.

Red stared at Ash.

"What?" asked Ash.

Red did not stop staring.

"Okay, May's attractive, so what?" said Ash.

Red continued staring.

"Alright, she's _very _attractive. That doesn't mean anything." said Ash.

Ash began to wonder how Red could stare so long without blinking.

"Fine! I like her. A lot!" said Ash in a defeated tone. "Just so you know, I don't plan on asking her out any time soo-"

Ash was cut off by the sound of the school bell ringing, which meant that lunch was over. Ash and Red both glanced over to Kenny's table, where May, Serena, Kenny, and a couple of other kids were packing their belongings. After picking up her schoolbag, May turned to the direction of the Ketchums and waved goodbye, smiling. Red smiled back, while Ash shakily waved his hand.

"We'll talk about this later." said Ash as he grabbed his sketchbook and left the table. "Later, Red."

Red smiled, as he placed his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, in his pocket. He then picked up his stuff and followed Ash out of the cafeteria, thinking about his chances with Serena.

* * *

The rest of Ash's school day went by quite eventfully. Ash had learned that he shared a class with May, Pokemon Advanced. It was an optional class that studied pokemon biology and evolution. While May was in the class, her seat was on the opposite side of the room, which meant that communicating with Ash was impossible, though Ash was not the type to talk during a class anyway. He also shared Science class with Serena, and even though their seats were relatively close, not much happened between them. That all changed when Serena was made Ash's lab partner_. _Neither of them were very pleased with the idea of working together on every experiment of the school year, but they decided they'd get used to it.

Red on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. His day was boring after lunch. He had a couple classes with his best friends Paul and Gary. It was nice, but he would've preferred to have the classes with that certain honey blonde beauty that had stolen his heart. He spent most of the day thinking about her, and soon, he realized he was becoming obsessive.

Red fully accepted his obsession over her and resumed thinking about her for the rest of the day.

When school finally ended, Ash and Red met in their meeting place; The boys bathroom on the second floor. They always met there. Whether it was to exchange an item or talk, that was usually the place they met. On this day, they met there so they could walk home together.

"So like I was saying at lunch, I'm not asking May out. Ever." said Ash darkly as they walked on the path towards their home.

A curious look appeared on Red's face, and Ash noticed.

"I just don't want it to end up like other girls that I've asked out... She's probably not going to like me. I don't think I'm very attractive." said Ash.

Red rolled his eyes at Ash's low self-esteem and even lower confidence. He then pointed to his own face, and then at Ash's face, and made a couple more odd gestures. Ash understood it easily.

"We don't look alike at all! First of all, you're not as tan as I am. Your hair is not as uncontrollable as mine, your eyes aren't the same shade of brown, you don't wear glasses, you don't have metal bars lining your teeth, and you don't have _THESE_!" said Ash, pointing to the Z-shaped birth marks on his cheeks. "Just what the hell _are_ these?!"

Red shrugged, he too wondered just what the hell they were.

"Exactly. We don't look alike whatsoever. So yeah, I wont be asking out May. I'd rather just befriend her, and enjoy the friendship."

Red pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and scribbled a few words on his hand. He then showed Ash his palm, allowing Ash to read what he wrote.

_"That might be the biggest load of lies I've ever heard. NO MAN wants to be in the friendzone. It's a scientifically proven fact, bro."_

"Whatever. How about this then; how would I date her with Kenny so close to her? He's a huge factor to take into account, since apparently, he's known them both since childhood."

For a second, Red's facial expression darkened, acknowledging the very real threat that Kenny could mess everything up. Red then waved his hand, in dismissal of the topic.

"Red, I just don't want to take any chances this time around. I want to play it safe." said Ash.

Red did not reply in any way, leaving the rest of their walk home to be had in silence. When they were almost home, a school bus drove past them. Ash and Red thought nothing of it. Little did they know, two familiar young ladies were on that bus...

* * *

"Hey look Serena, it's the Ketchums!" said May for the second time that day. Their bus had just drove past Ash and Red, who were walking home.

"Oh... cool." said Serena sarcastically.

"What's up with you today Serena? You've been really quiet and odd. You're not your usual happy self. Are you sick or something?" asked May, concerned.

"I'm fi-"

"Who are the Ketchums?" asked their little brother, Max.

"They're these twin boys we met today. One of them is a computer wiz, just like you, Max. He runs the Computer Club on Tuesdays, you should join." said May.

"Awesome! I can't wait!" said Max, excited to join the Computer Club. He then spotted a cute blonde girl in the back of the bus waving to him. He quickly left May and Serena to talk to said girl.

"Where are you going Max... Oh." said May, seeing Max's destination. "So whats wrong, Serena?"

"It's those Ketchum boys. That's what's wrong." said Serena blandly.

"I really like them. What do you think of them?"

"Well, for starters, its painfully obvious that Red has a huge crush on me." said Serena.

"Really? That's great! You should date him!" said May.

"You know how I feel about popular guys... I never date them. I've been quiet all day because I've been trying to think of a way to tell him I don't like him, without hurting his feelings. I've been giving off body language that I don't like him back, but he doesn't pick up on any of it."

"Oh..." said May. It was true that Serena never dated popular boys. She claimed that they were all self centered, cocky, and had too much pride. May always told her that it was bad to jump to such conclusions, but Serena would never listen. It got to the point where Serena gained a reputation in their old school for turning down almost every boy that had the bravery to ask her out on a date. "What about Ash? What's so bad about him?"

"Let's just say I don't enjoy his company." said Serena uncomfortably. "He's always nervous about something, and is horrible at hiding his blush. He's ridiculously geeky too. Ugh, and now he's my lab partner! Then again, I guess having him as a lab partner isn't that bad, since he's some kind of super genius. But still, he might be the most awkward kid in the galaxy!"

"I think he's ADOOOORABLE. He's got that cute, awkward, nerdy feel to him. That, and his poor drawing skills are funny." said May with a smile. "And I think Red is pretty cool. I really think you should give him a chance."

"No." said Serena monotonously.

"Fine..." sighed May.

"So, we're going to the mall with Kenny today." said Serena, changing the subject.

"Ughhhhhh, do we have toooo?" whined May. She wasn't as close to Kenny as Serena was. Deep down, she hated his guts.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" said Serena.

"For you..." said May, pouting. "You're the one who's had a crush on him for years..."

* * *

**I know this story has some humor in it, but the humor will eventually fade as the story progresses. Thanks for reading, seeya next time!  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	3. Meetings

**Howdy. Well everyone, I've got some bad news. Spring Track and Field has started, and I wont' be updating as fast, as the only time I'm able to write is on weekends. Sorry. :(  
**

**Q&amp;a time!**

FoxInTheGras

Hey, I really liked how this story is going on! Nice work! I do have a question though. Is the Kenny from this story the same one as the Kenny from the Pokemon series?

**Answer: Thanks! Yes, this is the Kenny from the anime.**

****Alright, enjoy Chapter 3! ****

****DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon.****

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Meetings

* * *

Night had fallen in Pallet Town. It was late, and most people were preparing to sleep for the night. Red and Ash were no different. Red had already gone to their room, and Ash was getting ready to do the same. The first day of school had been more eventful than they expected, and Ash and Red were exhausted.

"Alright, Goodnight Mom. Seeya tomorrow." yawned Ash.

"Oh! Ash! I forgot to tell you! I got a call from your orthodontist today." said Delia.

"Yeah?"

"Your braces are getting removed in 2 months!"

"R-really?!" asked Ash, overjoyed.

"Yep! In 2 months, you'll be able to show off that beautiful smile you've been hiding!"

"Awesome!" said Ash, jumping into the air. "Goodnight Mom!"

"Goodnight Ash." said Delia as she watched him happily zoom up the stairs.

* * *

Ash, thinking Red was still awake, ran into their room, shouting.

"Red! Re-"

Red, who had just fallen asleep, slowly turned to Ash and gave him a tired, annoyed look. It was a known fact that a tired Red was an angry Red. Red loved his sleep, and temporarily hated anyone who disturbed it.

"Oops. Anyway, guess what? My braces are getting removed in 2 months!" said Ash with a grin.

Red pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and a piece of paper. He quickly wrote something down, crumpled the paper, threw it at Ash, and went back to sleep. Ash caught the paper and read it to himself.

_"Fan-fucking-tastic. Now shut the hell up and let me sleep."_

"Heheh, goodnight Red." said Ash as he walked to his bed.

In response, Red, eyes closed, gave Ash the middle finger.

Ash ignored his brother's harsh gesture and laid down, staring at the ceiling. Ash had many reasons for his insecurity and low confidence, but one of the major ones were his braces. He hated them. He just viewed them as one of the many other reasons why Red was better than him. But soon, they would be out of the equation. It felt odd to think that his braces were finally going to be taken off, after 5 years of having them. Would his smile be like Red's? Would it be better than Red's? Or, Arceus forbid, _worse_ than Red's?

_"I guess I'll just have to wait and see... I wonder what May will think when she sees me without them..." _thought Ash as he drifted off into sleep.

* * *

BEEP BEEP BEEP

As usual, Ash was the only one to wake up when the alarm clock rang. But instead, Ash decided that he'd shower first and wake up Red after, stopping Red from pulling any pranks like he did the morning before.

Ash spent his whole shower doing what most teens his age did. Think up nearly impossible, unrealistically perfect scenarios in his head.

_"This is ridiculous."_ thought Ash, blushing. _"I've just met her and I'm already thinking of romantic dinners with her and dates and-"_

Ash's thoughts were interrupted by a series of rushed, intense knocks on the bathroom door. He momentarily turned off the water in the shower.

"Who is it?" asked Ash.

Silence.

"Is that you Red? Knock once for yes and twice for no."

One quick knock was heard.

"What do you want Red?" asked Ash.

Ash then heard the sound of Red pulling out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times. A few seconds later, a piece of paper slid under the door. Ash got out of the shower, put his towel on, and read the note.

_"Please hurry up."_

Ash smirked. It was time for his revenge. Barely able to hold in his laughter, Ash silently walked over to the shower, and gathered as much soap foam as he could.

"Fine, I'll be out in a sec!" chuckled Ash.

Pile of soap foam in hand, Ash slowly opened the door. He slipped his head through the doorway, and looked at Red. Red was in his pajamas, and had his towel in his hand. His face was very non-emotional. Ash paid no mind to Red's mysteriously serious behavior and smiled at Red. He then threw the mound of soap foam at Red's face, copying exactly what Red had done to him the morning prior.

But it did not end the same way as it did previously. Red dodged the ball of soap, grabbed Ash roughly, pulled him out of the bathroom, ran in, and locked the door behind him, all in one fluid motion. All of it was done without Red changing his blank facial expression.

"Hey! I wasn't done in there! Dammit Red!" shouted Ash as he heard Red turn on the shower. _"What's got into him?"_

Ash shrugged and left, resuming his morning routine. He spent the whole time wondering what could be wrong with Red. After dressing up, he went downstairs, and greeted his mother, who was cooking breakfast, as usual.

"Ash, where is Red?" asked Delia Ketchum.

"I dunno. He's taking an unusually long time to get ready today."

"Hmm..." hummed Delia, as she placed two slices of bread into the toaster.

"He's also been acting really weir- Oh, there he is now." said Ash, spotting Red's feet coming down the staircase.

Red slowly came down the staircase, looking extremely neat. He was wearing a new red jacket, new gray jeans, new shoes, new everything. His hair was neatly combed, and his face was bright and free from any oils. His teeth were always white, but this time, they were extremely white. He wore a bright smile on his face, which completely confused Ash, as he was almost emotionless earlier that morning.

Red strode happily into the kitchen and sat at the table, still smiling.

"*Sniff* *sniff* Are you wearing cologne?" asked Ash.

Red nodded.

"Why? And what's with the extra care put into your appearance?"

Red shook his head and wiggled a finger. He had no intentions of telling Ash his plans for the day.

"Oh come on! Tell me!" whined Ash.

"Ash, if Red doesn't want to tell you, he doesn't want to tell you. Leave him alone." said Mrs. Ketchum as she handed the boys their breakfast.

"Thanks mom." said Ash as he began to devour the food. Temporarily forgetting Red's odd behavior.

Ash noticed that Red made sure to eat neatly and calmly, which was very unlike him. But Ash, too absorbed in their mother's awesome cooking, shrugged it off. Once breakfast was finished, Red hurried upstairs to brush his teeth. For the second time that morning.

"I need to find out what he's planning..." thought Ash aloud as he watched Red hurry up the stairs.

A few minutes later, the boys were ready to leave. Ash and Red said their goodbyes to their mother, and departed for school. The walk to school was spent in silence. Red seemed to have a determined look on his face, which only grew more and more determined as they got closer to the school.

"Red, seriously, what do you have planned?" asked Ash.

A confident smile is all Ash received as a response.

"Alright, I'm guessing there's about a 99.9% chance this has to do with Serena?"

Red nodded.

"What, are you trying to impress her or something?"

Red glanced at Ash for a second before nodding his head again.

"Oh..." said Ash, noticing Red's hesitation. Something told Ash that was only half the truth.

A couple minutes later, the school was in sight. Ash spotted two girls walking into the building.

"Hey look, it's May and Serena. We should go speak..." trailed off Ash as Red sped up his walking pace, leaving Ash behind. "...to them."

Ash watched as Red followed Serena. Suddenly, Ash's eyes widened, as he came to a dreadful realization.

"No... I hope he's not going to... No way..." mumbled Ash. He then saw Red greet the girls as then gesture towards Serena to go with him somewhere. "Oh no."

It all made sense. Red was going to ask Serena to go on a date with him. Ash immediately pulled out his cell phone and texted Red as fast as he could.

**"Red, you idiot! Stop! Don't ask her out! You haven't known her long enough! It's just gonna creep her out!  
**

**-Ash"**

Ash sent the message, and waited for a reply. Within a few seconds, Red replied.

**"Don't worry about it. The idea came to me in a dream last night. Mystical shit like that happens for a reason. This is my destiny! I AM A MAN OF ACTION!**

**-Red"**

Ash stared at the screen of his phone, utterly baffled by Red's ridiculous reasoning. But then Ash realized something else. He didn't really care. So he calmly walked down the hallway, trying his best to forget his brother's certain doom.

* * *

Ash's warnings had little to no effect on Red's confidence. He strode down the hall, Serena curiously following close behind.

"Okay Red, we're isolated. What do you want to talk about?" asked Serena.

Red took a deep breath, and proceeded to do a series of odd gestures and motions.

"I don't get it." said Serena, her head tilted in confusion.

Red sighed, slightly agitated. He then pointed to Serena, then to himself. He then moved his fingers to make them look like two people were walking. The fingers then walked into a locker.

"You want to walk me into a locker?" asked Serena.

Red shook his head. His patience was dwindling. He did more gestures, hoping she would understand.

"Red, I really don't understand what you're trying to say."

Red's patience had disappeared. Aggravated, he quickly took out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and wrote in big letters, "WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?" across the lockers next to them. Realizing that he'd just wrote on the lockers in permanent marker, he immediately tried to wipe it off, but to no avail.

Serena on the other hand, was frozen in dread. She knew this day was coming, just not this early. She was certain that she didn't like Red. She liked Kenny. She loved Kenny. As much as she hated hurting people's feelings, it had to be done.

"Umm.. Red?"

Red stopped wiping to lockers to look at Serena. Serena took a deep breath, and spoke.

"You seem like a really nice guy. I really want to be friends with you... but that's all I want to be with you. I'm sorry, but you're just not my type...' said Serena sadly. "I really want to stay friends with you thou- Red?"

Red was standing, still as a statue. His eyes were full of shock. Pure, unrefined shock. He slowly turned around and stiffly walked away.

"Umm... I'll see you later...?" said Serena as she hesitantly walked away, in the opposite direction that Red walked.

Red, still in a state of shock, walked all the way to boys bathroom on the second floor. He walked in, and was not very surprised by who he saw there. In the bathroom was Ash, and it seemed like he was waiting for Red.

"So, 'MAN OF ACTION', has your 'destiny' been fulfilled?" asked Ash, smirking.

Red glared at Ash.

"Hey, don't be mad at me. I warned you. You should have listened to me." said Ash.

Tears formed in Red's eyes as he fell to the ground, curled up in a fetal position. Ash rolled his eyes.

"Geez, pull yourself together! You do realize you're laying on a BATHROOM FLOOR, right? Come on, at least she didn't say something like, 'You're just not my type.'"

Red looked up at Ash, with eyes full of pain.

"Oh... she _did_ say that... Damn. Calm down Red. It's not like your chances with her are ruined or anything. She probably needs more time to get to know you. You have to really befriend someone before you go asking them to go on a date." said Ash, helping Red back onto his feet. "I think it's best you skip 1st period, considering you sit next to her in that class."

Red, still crying, made a bunch of sloppy gestures with his arms.

"Sorry bro, but I can't stay with you. If I skip, It'll ruin my perfect attendance record that I've been holding since preschool..." said Ash in a sympathetic tone. "I'll see you at lunch okay?"

Red nodded his head. And right on time, the school bell rung, signaling the students to head to their first period class.

"Bye Red." said Ash as he left the bathroom.

Red resumed weeping in a fetal position, wondering if this was all a dream or not.

* * *

The students of Professor Rowan's first period class entered the classroom, ready to begin the lesson. Serena was the last to enter the classroom, and by the look on her face, May could tell that there was a lot on her mind. May watched as Serena slowly trudged over to her desk. Strange enough, Red's desk was empty.

_"Alright, this definitely has something to do with Red." _thought May, staring Serena down analytically.

The class began, and Red had still not come. The time had come for Professor Rowan to take attendance. He grabbed the sheet of paper and began calling out the names of the students in alphabetical order.

"Terrence Keegan."

"Here."

"Ashley Kelly."

"Present."

"Redwood Ketchum."

Nothing.

"Mr. Ketchum, I am aware that you cannot speak, but please try to inform me of your presence with a knock on your desk or something." said Professor Rowan, not looking up from his paper.

Still nothing.

"Well then," said Professor Rowan, scanning the room for Red, "I guess Mr. Ketchum is absent."

May was watching Serena when Red's name was called. She seemed to wince in guilt every time Professor Rowan said his name.

* * *

It was 3rd period by the time Red had finally composed himself. He quietly walked to his 3rd Period class, Art. He slowly entered the classroom.

"Sup Red... You're late dude." said the Art teacher, Professor Sycamore.

Red mustered up all his might into faking a nervous smile.

"Ahaahaha, it's alright man. Funky stuff happens sometimesss... Just don't make a habit of it, catch my drift?" said Professor Sycamore lazily. "Grab your sketchbook and draw away."

Red slowly walked over to his art table and pulled out his sketchbook. He then scribbling random lines all over his paper, to make it look like he was drawing. He was actually sulking. He was so absorbed in his sulking he didn't even pay any attention to his two best friends that were sitting right in front of him.

"Red, what happened? You look horrible." asked Paul.

"Yeah, you're even more dull than Paul, if possible." concurred Gary.

Red looked up from his paper, and sighed. He then flipped to a different page of his sketchbook, pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times, and wrote a huge paragraph explaining what had transpired that morning.

After reading it, Gary's eyes widened.

"Damn! Why the heck would you ask out Serena Maple? She's like, the hardest girl in the world to acquire. She has a reputation for rejecting guys!" said Gary.

"I agree with Gary. You should have done your research before taking on a challenge like her. You should have listened to Ash. Asking her out was a suicide mission." said Paul.

"So Paul, who do _you_ have your eyes on?" asked Gary, elbowing Paul's arm.

"I'm not telling you anything." snapped Paul.

"Oh come on... Let me guess, is it that tomboy Zoey?" asked Gary.

Paul's eyes lowered to the floor, a small blush appearing on his face.

"HAH! IT _IS_ ZOEY! Damn Paul, you really do have a thing for tomboy-redheads! First Misty, now Zoey? Who's next, Morrison wearing lipstick?"

"Shut it Gary. Who do YOU like?" asked Paul.

"Same girl I always have. Dawn. Now that that bastard Kenny is out of the picture, this is my chance to swoop in and charm her. Gary Fucking Oak style." said Gary.

"Well good luck with tha-"

Paul was interrupted by Red snapping his fingers three times then pointing to himself, reminding Gary and Paul that Red was in distress.

"Listen man, I don't know what to tell ya. I guess you could try to stay friends with her, build your relationship, then try again. Right, Paul?"

Paul nodded his head.

"You are Redwood Ketchum! The most loved, and no homo, charming guy in this school. Second to me, Gary Fucking Oak of course. I'm sure if you play your cards right, you can win her over."

A small smile appeared on Red's face, giving him hope. He wasn't fully happy yet, but it was a start.

"Yo Reddy Red Red," said Professor Sycamore, who appeared out of nowhere. "How's your drawing comin' along?"

Red quickly turned to his page of random zigzags and scribbles. Professor Sycamore's eyes widened.

"This... This is the greatest piece of abstract art I've ever laid my eyes upon! My goodness, I don't even know if I can fully interpret this masterpiece. I can see that those lines in the corner represent the government's role in society, while the scribbles over there are clearly portraying your wishes for women to have equal rights all around the world... Truly spectacular. I don't think I've ever had such an artistically gifted student in my class. This is just fucking amazing..." said Professor Sycamore, ripping the sheet of paper from Red's sketchbook. "I'll be taking this and submitting it into the Regional Art Show. This shit's fucking amazing..."

Red, Gary and Paul all stared at Professor Sycamore, eyes wide. Professor Sycamore then walked off with Red's "drawing", leaving Gary, Red, and Paul at the table, confused as could be.

"I cannot even fathom how much weed that guy smokes daily." said Gary.

* * *

The end of the school day had come. It was Tuesday, which meant that Ash had Computer Club. Excited to meet with his club members, Ash raced to the computer lab. He opened the door and took a deep breath. The computer lab felt like a second home to Ash. He looked around to see his loyal members of the Computer Club: Tracey Sketchit, Cilan Dento, and Clemont Citron.

Tracey was very artistic, and was often seen sketching pokemon. His sketches put Ash's to shame. He was a year older than Ash, and was almost a foot taller.

Clemont was Ash's age and height. He wore large, circular glasses, that often shined when he had a good idea.

Cilan was also a year older than Ash. He was an average guy, except for the fact that he always wore formal clothes.

"Hey guys." said Ash.

Cilan, Tracey and Clemont responded with a chorus of greetings.

"It's feels so great to see you guys again. Well, since no one new has joined the club, I guess we'll just pick up where we left off-"

"Ash, I think there's someone at the door." said Clemont.

"Oh, maybe a new member." said Ash as he walked over to the door. "Hello, welcome to the Computer-"

Ash opened the door to find 3 figures. May, Clemont's little sister Bonnie, and a person who Ash did not know. He had messy black hair and a pair of loose fitting glasses.

Ash immediately felt butterfrees dancing around in his stomach. But he was used to it. That always happened when May was near him.

_"Alright Ash, don't fuck this up." _thought Ash to himself.

"-Club." gulped Ash nervously.

"Hi there!" said May cheerfully.

"H-hi. What's up?" said Ash, trying his best to keep his cool.

"Nothing much. This is my little brother Max. He wants to join your Computer Club." said May, pointing to Max.

"Hi Max." said Ash, reaching out for a handshake.

"Hey. You're Ash right?" asked Max with a smile, shaking Ash's hand.

"Yep. Ashton Ketchum at your service." said Ash with a dorky smile.

"Just a heads up, May thinks you're cu-" started Max. His sentence was cut off by the feel of May punching him in the back of the head. "Ow! Heheh, fine, I'll keep my mouth shut."

May growled in response. She then realized Ash had sen the whole thing. She instantly returned to her bubbly self.

"Don't listen to a word he says. He's stupid. Anyway, I guess Bonnie and I will be on our way. We're heading to the Cooking Club." said May.

Ash nodded his head, not really paying attention. Something else was occupying his mind at the moment_. "What was Max going to say? What does May think of me? Wait a minute. If Max even knows who I am, then that means May and Serena have been talking about Red and I at home. I guess that's a good sign..."  
_

Before May and Bonnie left, Max quickly placed a quick kiss on Bonnie's lips, which shocked everybody but May, Max and Bonnie.

"BONNIE EUREKA CITRON! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" shouted Clemont, his head almost exploding.

"It was a kiss, Clemont. I know, the concept must be new to you." said Bonnie, clearly not phased by the volume of Celmont's voice.

"Dammit Bonnie, I know what a kiss is! I'm upset because you are WAY too young to participate in one!" yelled Clemont, not as loud as before.

"Shut it, Clemont. You're just jealous because your love life is about as successful as your 'inventions', while _mine_ is flourishing." said Bonnie, hugging Max.

"My inventions are successful!"

"Really? Name _one_ that hasn't exploded 7 minutes after completion."

"...Whatever." mumbled Clemont, not able to think of a comeback.

"I thought so. Bye Maxy! Love ya!" said Bonnie as she walked out the door. May followed her out, but not before whispering in Ash's ear.

"Tell Red not to give up on Serena. He's the perfect guy for her. She just needs to realize that." whispered May.

May then skipped down the hall, following Bonnie. Ash thought for a while, and then closed the door.

"Alright guys," said Ash, silencing everyone. "we have to assess Max, to see where he could help out the most in our project."

"What's your project?"

"We're creating a video game." said Ash with a smile.

"Woah, that's a big project. Is this like a small, kiddie game, or a _real_ video game?" asked Max.

"A real video game. I find it insulting that you'd even think we'd be making a 'small, kiddie game.'" snapped Clemont.

"Calm down Clemont. You can't pick on Max just because he's dating your sister." said Tracey.

"I can pick on who I damn well please-"

"Shut up, Clemont." said Ash sternly. "If you pick on Max, I'll be forced to kick you out of the Computer Club."

"...Fine." said Clemont bitterly.

"Anyway, we're making a real video game." said Ash.

"Cool! What's it about?!" asked Max.

"Well, we all know that becoming a Pokemon Trainer and going on a journey is ridiculously expensive and time consuming, right? Many people would want to be a Pokemon Trainer, but not all of us have the time or money to do it. Wouldn't it be great if people of any age could go on a pokemon journey from the comfort of their home, without paying for traveling fees and other annoying bills?" said Ash.

"Yeah, that'd be convenient." said Max.

"Well that's where our game comes in. For the past 2 years, we have been developing a game that simulates a real pokemon journey. In our game, you can catch pokemon, challenge gym leaders, and even battle the Elite Four! All the locations in the game are based of off real locations, and you can even catch legendary pokemon such as Zapdos, Moltres, and Arcticuno. There are 151 catchable pokemon, all with extremely accurate AI, so they'll fight in the same style that their real life counterparts do. The game is about 75% complete. Once we complete the game, we plan on sending a copies of it to a variety of game companies, hoping one will acccept it. Then, we'll be rich!" said Ash.

"Thats... amazing." said Max in awe. "What's the game called?"

"We're still thinking of a name, but for now it's called _Pokemon Blue. _Now, before we begin working, we need to know your skills, so we can find out what aspect of the game you'll help with. But first, let me tell you what everybody does. Clemont and I are the main programmers. We handle all the code and procedures of the game. Tracey over there is responsible for all the animations and pixel art. And finally, Cilan here is in charge of the soundtrack. He synthesizes all the music and sound effects that will be in the game."

"It's nice to meet you all." said Max. "As for my skills, my main talent lies in my pixel art. I'm okay at coding, but I think that you and Clemont have that part of the game handled."

"Yeah, we do. And I doubt Cilan needs help with the music, so I guess you'll be helping Tracey out with the visuals."

"THANK YOU! Ugh, I already feel less stressed." said Tracey.

"Alright guys, we have our work cut out for us. I want us to have this game finished by the end of this school year. Now that we have a new member, to process should speed up a bit. It's go time!" said Ash as he started his computer.

* * *

After hours of hard work, the Computer Club was dismissed. Ash had walked home, alone. Surprisingly, he made it home safely. He entered his home to find his mother cooking dinner.

"Hey Ash. How was Computer Club?" asked Mrs. Ketchum.

"It was fine. I'm starving. What's for dinner?" asked Ash, his stomach grumbling loudly.

"Fried Pikachu." said Mrs. Ketchum nonchalantly.

"WHAT?!"

"Hahaha, just messin' with ya. We're having spaghetti and meatballs." laughed Mrs. Ketchum.

"You almost gave me a heart attack." muttered Ash. "Where's Red?"

"He's upstairs."

Ash nodded his head and walked up the stairs. He opened the door of his room to find Red in a fetal position, holding a sheet of paper. Next to Red was Red's Raichu and Ash's Pikachu, both looking worried for the teen. Ash sighed and walked over to Red.

"Red, what the hell is this?" said Ash, snatching the sheet of paper from Red's hand. Red just looked at Ash tiredly, not leaving his fetal position.

Ash read the paper to find a bunch of poetry written on it.

_"Roses are red,_

_violets are blue._

_Serena rejected me._

_Shit."_

Ash read another one. This one was a haiku.

_"Rejected by her._

_Why must life be so cruel?_

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck."_

Ash read the rest of the poems, all of them having the same theme.

"Oh come on Red, these don't even rhyme! And the middle line in the haiku only has 6 syllables; it's supposed to have 7!" said Ash incredulously.

Red glared at Ash.

"Listen Red, you can't let one rejection knock you down. Don't give up. Today May told me-"

"Boys! Dinner's ready!" yelled Mrs. Ketchum from the kitchen.

"Come on Red, we'll talk about this after dinner." said Ash as he helped Red get up off the floor.

* * *

**Hey. I think I may have overdid it on then humor in this chapter. Whatever. Next chapter, things will get interesting. Reviews are not necessary, but appreciated. Later.  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	4. Saves

**Hi. I have realized that the "Red's Handy Dandy Black Marker, Which He Has At All Times." gag is a little overused, so I've limited it to once per chapter. :)  
Let the Q&amp;A begin!  
**

Are all the names used

This is a very interesting story. Do you know of any others that kinda have the same theme?

**Answer: No, I don't. Sorry. I do, however, know a couple really good High School stories that I really enjoy reading. PM me if you're interested.**

Ultratron562

Wait, how old are Max and Bonnie in this?

**Answer: They're about 14 or 15.**

aloof-kokiri

Oh high school romance. So ridiculous. HUGE question. Why on earth is Red not using sign language?! It is downright insanity for someone who is non-verbal not to know at least basic sign. Also, why not use a tablet as a method of communication? Sorry, but as someone with a disability and knowing nonverbal people myself...it's just a personal subject to me. Anyways, good luck with writing!

**Answer: Red knows his own unique signs and gestures. It's a running gag that only Ash can understand his signs. And even if Red knew actual sign language, it wouldn't always work, as not everyone knows sign language. But I do like the tablet idea. Actually, I love the idea of Red using a tablet. He'll definitely get one at some point in the story. Thanks for the idea.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Saves

* * *

Dinner was over. Ash and Red stayed with their mother for a while before going to their room for the night. Once their door was closed, Ash and Red changed into their pajamas and continued their conversation that was started earlier.

"So anyway, May told me something that I'm sure will cheer you up." said Ash.

Red lifted an eyebrow in question.

"May said that you shouldn't give up. She says you're the perfect guy for Serena, and she just needs some time to realize it. And I think May would know who's best for Serena, considering they're sisters and all."

Red's eyes widened a little, surprised at what Ash told him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. His fingers glided across the touch screen, forming a quick message. A second later, Ash's phone vibrated. Ash took out his phone and read the message.

**_"Did she really say that? -Red"_**

"Yes, she said that. So stop being so gloomy. Your chances with Serena are very much alive. Are you going to school tomorrow?" asked Ash.

Red grabbed his phone, in an attempt to reply, but his phone died as soon as he touched it. He tossed it across the room nonchalantly. Little did he know it accidentally hit his Raichu, causing it to faint. He then pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times. On the end of his bed there was a small notepad. He picked it up and began writing. Once his note was completed, he crumpled it into a ball and threw it at Ash. It hit Ash's face.

"Fuck you." muttered Ash as he opened the note.

_"Nah, I'm not going to school tomorrow."_

"Why not?" asked Ash.

Red wrote down another note and threw it at Ash, purposely aiming for Ash's face. The note hit it's target, and Red received a murderous look from Ash in response. Ash unraveled the note and read it.

_"I want to clear my head a bit. Today's Tuesday, right?"  
_

"Yeah, today's Tuesday."

Red wrote another note, and threw it at Ash's face. But this time, Ash dodged it, with a triumphant grin on his face.

"Nice try!"

But sadly, in the process of dodging the note, Ash fell off his bed, landing face first, onto the floor. Red laughed his silent laugh, pointing at Ash, who was still on the floor. Ash defeatedly picked himself off the floor and returned to the bed, picking up Red's note on the way. He threw himself onto his bed, and read Red's note.

_"I'll go back to school on Thursday. Now enough about me. Has anything new happened with you and May?"_

"Meh, not much." said Ash, a small blush forming on his face. "Her little brother joined my Computer Club today. He was going to tell me something about her, but she stopped him from doing it."

Red threw another note at Ash. This time, Ash decided to use his brain and catch it instead of letting it hit him. Ash looked at the paper.

_"I think you should form a plan to woo her." _

"Woo her?"

Red nodded.

"'Woo ' as in impress her?" asked Ash, for clarification.

Red nodded again.

"I guess that seems like a good idea... But how? I don't have many talents to impress her with. I doubt my computer skills will impress her. And besides those, what other major talents do I have?" yawned Ash, taking off his glasses.

Ash turned to Red. Red was pointing at Ash's Pikachu, which was asleep.

"You don't mean..."

Red nodded his head.

Ash sighed, thinking about what Red was telling him. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. On his free time, Ash trained his Pikachu to astounding levels, mainly for security purposes such as protecting the house when no one was home. One day, to prove their strength, Ash and Pikachu challenged Red and his Raichu to a battle, winning effortlessly. His Pikachu was his pride and joy, and they had an unbreakable bond. They were an amazing team.

"_Hmm... Pikachu and I's battle skills would definitely impress May... but how will I get the chance to? I can't just bring in my Pikachu and challenge random people to battles..." _thought Ash.

"Red, your idea is good, but how will I do it?"

Red made many hand gestures and motions, communicating with Ash. Ash understood Red's unique sign language easily.

"Yeah, my Pokemon Advanced class does have Battle Day, but that's not till next month."

Yawning, Red sleepily tossed another note to Ash. Ash read it.

_"Just leave that to me. Make sure you catch Pikachu and take him to school tomorrow. Goodnight."_

"What are you going to..." Ash looked at Red, to find him already asleep. "...do?"

Ash shrugged his shoulders, and closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep...

* * *

The next morning was spent like any other. Ash and Red woke up, bathed, and ate breakfast. Red then pretended to be sick, to avoid going to school. Mrs. Ketchum fell for his act. Red was sent to his bed, where he would stay for majority of the day. While Mrs. Ketchum was treating Red's "illness", Ash took on the difficult task of capturing his Pikachu into a pokeball. Pikachu absolutely despised the gadgets, and usually destroyed any that he found.

After numerous failed attempts at capturing his own pokemon, Ash used his last resort. Ketchup. Ash placed some ketchup on the kitchen floor, and waited. Pikachu slowly walked into the kitchen, minding his own business. His ears perked up when he saw the red condiment laying on the ground, ready to be devoured.

"Kachupi..." muttered Pikachu, his mouth watering. He knew it was a trap, but he knew he'd be a fool to let perfectly good ketchup go to waste.  
so against his better judgement, he dashed for the ketchup. As soon as he reached the ketchup, Ash jumped out from his hiding spot and threw a pokeball at Pikachu, catching him.

"Victory." sighed Ash, stuffing the pokeball into his backpack. "Mom! I'm ready to go to school!"

* * *

Ash walked through the halls, along with hundreds of other students, all on their ways to their 7th period classes. Ash was on his way to his Pokemon Advanced class, the only class he shared with May. Ash had been thinking hard the whole day.

_"I wonder what Red's going to do..."_ he thought.

When he reached his destination, Professor Birch, the man who taught Pokemon Advanced, was standing outside the room. He seemed to be waiting for Ash.

"Good afternoon Professor. What's going on?"

"Hey Ash. I got a text from Red this morning regarding Battle Day. He requested that for your sake I move it to today."

"W-wow.." said Ash, astonished by Red's kind act. "H-how did he convince you to change Battle Day to today?"

"Well, It was the least I could do for the star of the Lacrosse team I coach. Red led my team to our first Championship win, so a little favor like moving Battle Day is nothing compared to what he's done for me. But I must ask, why do you want Battle Day to be today?"

"Umm... personal reasons." said Ash, laughing uncomfortably. "I'd rather not say."

"Alright, I'll mind my own business. Come on, let's get started." said Professor Birch, ushering Ash into the classroom.

Ash entered the classroom, his eyes instantly meeting May's. She smiled and waved at him. Ash smiled and awkwardly waved back. He then made his way to his seat, waiting for class to begin. A few minutes later, the school bell rang, signaling the beginning of 7th period. Professor Birch entered the room, smiling.

"Okay students, how many of you brought a pokemon to school today?" he asked.

26 out of the 32 teens in the class raised their hands. Among them were Ash and May.

"22, 23, 24! Good, that'll be enough. For reasons I refuse to tell you, I have decided to make today Battle Day! Now for the 6 of you that didn't bring in a pokemon, not to worry, I have plenty for you to use."

Almost all of the students in the class smiled, excited for Battle Day. All except May, who was looking around in confusion. She had no idea what Battle Day was. So she slowly raised her hand, alerting Professor Birch that she had a question.

"Yes May?" asked Professor Birch.

"Professor, what's Battle Day?" she asked.

The class fell silent.

"Let's connect the freaking dots. It's a day where students have battles. Battle Day." answered a dirt-blonde guy in the back of the classroom.

May looked embarrassed. Ash looked pissed. Professor Birch looked annoyed.

"Trip, please don't answer questions that were not addressed towards you. One more outburst like that and you'll be sent to detention. Do I make myself clear?" said Professor Birch sternly.

"Hmph, whatever." said Trip, scowling at the teacher.

"Anyway, as Trip said, Battle Day is a day where my students have battles. We go to the school's soccer field, and have one-on-one matches. The students in the matches are to battle as they normally would, while the students watching the battle are to take notes regarding type advantages and special abilities. But remember, you're supposed to have fun as well, so don't get too caught up in the notes. Okay?"

"Okay." said May, still a little upset by the way Trip embarrassed her in front of the whole class.

"Grab your pokeballs kids; it's battle time!" said Professor Birch, leading the students out of the classroom.

The whole class noisily followed Professor Birch, talking all the way there. Ash, on the other hand, was relatively silent, as he was thinking of all the awesome ways he could impress May with his Pikachu. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that he was about to bump into her. He ended up bumping into her.

"Wha- oh, hey Ash." said May with a smile.

"Hmm? Oh! H-hi May. Sorry about that, I just... spaced out." said Ash.

"So... what pokemon do you have with you?" asked May.

"I have a Pikachu. What do you have?"

"A Wartortle."

"Are you excited to battle?" asked Ash.

"A little. I'm more interested in coordinating, but I like battles too!" said May.

"Alright students! The first battle will be picked by random!" said Professor Birch, silencing all the students. "I have put all your names into a hat, and will pick two names. Those two names will be the first students to battle! Now, who has a hat for me to use?"

Everybody in the yard looked around, and eventually, all their eyes set on Ash, as he was the only one wearing a hat. Ash looked around, wondering why he was being stared at.

"Ash, your hat." whispered May, taking Ash's hat off his head.

"M-my hat?" asked Ash.

"Your hat." said May, giggling at Ash's unkept raven hair. "Your hair is funny."

Ash really had nothing to say, as his cheeks were redder than ever. He turned his face in another direction, trying to hide it from May. He failed. But before May or Ash could say anything, Professor Birch picked the first name out of Ash's hat.

"May Maple."

May shrugged her shoulders and walked over to Professor Birch. The Professor gestured towards May's pokeball. May nodded her head and tossed the pokeball.

"Wartortle, take the stage."

In a flash of light, May's Wartortle emerged from the ball, ready to fight. Nobody was surprised at the sight of a Wartortle. An average Kanto pokemon.

"And May's opponent will be..." Professor Birch pulled out the name and when he read it, he frowned. "...Trip."

Ash watched as Trip strode to Professor Birch, a smug smirk on his face.

"Serperior, you're needed." said Trip, releasing his pokemon.

Whispers where heard all around, everybody wondering what a Serperior was. In a flash of light, a beautiful serpent-like pokemon emerged.

"A Serperior..." said Professor Birch, in awe. "Those aren't common around here..."

While everyone was still marveling at Trip's Serperior, May was freaking out. Serperior was clearly a grass-type, which put her and her Wartortle at a large disadvantage.

_"Great,"_ thought May, _"He's gonna embarrass me in front of the whole class AGAIN."_

"This will be a one-on-one match between Wartortle and Serperior! Are both battlers ready?"

"Ready." said Trip confidently.

"Ready..." sighed May.

"Begin!"

"Wartortle, use Tackle!" called May.

"Dodge it." said Trip.

Wartortle raced towards Serperior, ready to tackle it. But Serperior quickly slithered away, avoiding any damage. Without a command from Trip, Serperior used Vine Whip in Wartortle. Wartortle cried out in pain.

"Wartortle! Are you okay?!" asked May.

"Wartortle!" yelled Wartortle.

"Use Water Gun!" commanded May.

"Serperior..." Trip purposely paused to make it more dramatic. "...stand your ground."

Serperior stayed put, allowing the water-type attack to hit it full force. When the Water Gun was finished, there was little to no damage on Serperior's body. Serperior shook off the driplets of water that remained, while Trip crossed his arms.

"Are you serious? A water attack against a grass-type pokemon? Wow, you're dumber than I thought. Serperior, use Leaf Tornado!" called Trip from the other side of the battlefield.

"Serp, Serperiorrrrr!" yelled Serperior as it released a tornado of leaves, all aimed for Wartortle.

"Wartortle! Protect!"

Wartortle formed a protective barrier around himself, keeping any damage from reaching him. Both May and Wartortle were thoroughly surprised when the Leaf Tornado broke through the Protect, inflicting a great deal of damage on Wartortle. After the attack was completed, Wartortle struggled to stand.

"Wartortle, hang in there!" cried May.

"Wartort..le.." muttered Wartortle as it struggled to stay conscious.

May was not happy. The battle had only begun 3 minutes ago, and Trip's Serperior already had her Wartortle on the ropes. Within the past 25 minutes alone, Trip had ruined her whole day. It took almost all of May's might to fight back tears. Why was Trip being such an ass?

"I'm going to take a picture of this so I can always remember this joke of a battle." chuckled Trip as he took out his camera. He quickly snapped a picture of May's Wartortle beaten and bruised. "Alright Serperior, let's finish this up with a Leaf Storm."

"Serperior." replied Serperior, preparing to use Leaf Storm.

"Wartortle..." whispered May, knowing her Pokemon was doomed.

As Trip's Serperior launched what seemed like an endless array of leaves, May closed her eyes, not wanting to see or hear the pain her Wartortle was about to go through.

"Pikachu. Thunderbolt." said a cold, yet familiar voice.

May opened her eyes to see a powerful flash of lightning fry each and every leaf in the air. Everybody's eyes turned to the source of the interruption. Standing alone, was Ash and his Pikachu, the latter of which was growling, sparks flying from its cheeks. May couldn't believe her eyes. Was that cold, angry voice really Ash's?

"Professor Birch." said Ash quietly. "I'd like to battle Trip, please."

"G-go right ahead." stuttered Professor Birch. He was just as shocked as the rest of the class.

Ash walked over to where May was standing. As he was walking, his mind was filled with countless thoughts. He too was shocked by his own actions. He hated seeing May get humiliated by Trip more than anything, but he didn't expect himself to do something so... so _brave._

_"I guess I really do like her. I'd never do this for someone I didn't like." _ he thought. Originally he had planned on using his training prowess to impress May. But instead, he would use it to embarrass Trip.

May watched as Ash walked towards her, his loyal Pikachu following close behind. When he finally reached her, he smiled.

"I think you should get Wartortle some help. He doesn't look too good. In my backpack over there is some Potion Spray. You can use it." said Ash quietly.

This time, it was May's turn to blush and stutter. Ash's brown eyes were burning with determination, something May adored. She already thought shy, brainy Ash was cute, but this Ash she was seeing right now... was something else.

"O-okay." said May as she scurried over to Wartortle, blushing intensely.

Ash watched as she retrieved her pokemon and walked towards Ash's bag. His eyes then turned to his opponent, Trip, who was scowling at Ash.

"Just what do you think you're doing Ketchum? Don't you know that my Serperior also has a type advantage over your Pikachu? It'll end up just like that poorly trained Wartortle." spat Trip venomously.

Ash didn't know how long his burst of bravery was going to last, but he planned to take full advantage of it. So he turned his hat (which he had retrieved from Professor Birch) backwards, and smirked at Trip. A chorus of "Ooooohhh"s and "Ahhhhhs" were heard from the students watching the battle, eager to hear what Ash would say next.

"Type advantages don't always guarantee a win." he said confidently.

Trip snorted. "And here I was thinking you were a bit smarter than the rest of the hillbillies in this hick town. Guess not. Serperior, Vine Whip!"

"Pikachu, dodge and use Quick Attack." said Ash calmly.

Vines came out of Serperior heading towards Pikachu at rapid speeds. With more grace than a Gardevoir, Pikachu dodged the attack. Once all the vines missed their target, Pikachu raced towards Serperior with the fastest Quick Attack Professor Birch had ever seen. The Quick Attack connected, causing Serperior to howl in pain.

"Serperior, pull yourself together and use Slam!" shouted Trip.

Serperior hissed at Pikachu as it attempted to slam itself into Pikachu.

"Pikachu, meet the Slam with an Iron Tail." commanded Ash.

As Serperior approached, ready to slam Pikachu, Pikachu's tail began to glow and harden. Then, with a powerful swing, Pikachu's tail smashed into Serperior's face, resulting in a critical hit. Trip growled, while Ash smirked. But Ash wasn't done yet.

"Now Pikachu, use Double Team."

"Pika?"

"Just go with it." said Ash calmly.

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders and proceeded to use Double Team, creating multiple clones of himself, all of them staring down Serperior. Serperior looked around, trying to find the real Pikachu, but it was pointless. Serperior looked at Trip, waiting for a command. Trip said nothing, waiting to see what Ash would do next.

"Use Tackle!"

Trip's eyes widened as every clone of Pikachu ran towards Serperior.

"Quick Serperior! Use Razor Leaf on as many of the clones as you can!" barked Trip.

Ash smiled, glad that Trip was falling into his trap.

"The _Real_ Pikachu; use Dig." said Ash with a grin.

In the small army of yellow pokemon racing towards Serperior, one of them dug underground. In all the commotion, Trip and Serperior had not heard Ash's order to the real Pikachu, which was just what Ash wanted. Serperior continued to destroy all the Pikachu clones, until there was not a single one left. All the chaos created a cloud of smoke in the air. When it cleared, Only Serperior was on the field. Trip's eyes widened.

"Where the heck is it?" asked Trip.

Ash did not reply. His eyes quickly shot a glance at May, who was staring straight at him, straight faced. He blushed a bit and smiled, causing her to smile back and give him an encouraging thumbs up.

"Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle!" shouted Ash.

Suddenly, the ground below Serperior began to rumble, and Serperior began looking around frantically, clearly not understanding why the ground was shaking. Trip was equally as confused. Then, in a flash of bright yellow light, Pikachu emerged from underground directly under Serperior, covered in a thick sheet of lightning. Serperior had no time to dodge. The Volt Tackle hit Serperior, sending it flying across the battlefield. All of Ash's classmates, including Trip, were shocked beyond belief.

Serperior landed painfully onto the ground, groaning. After 10 seconds of groaning, it got back up, hissing a deadly hiss at Pikachu.

"How the hell did it get undergroun- Dig." said Trip, realizing how Ash's plan was executed. "But how can Pikachu, an electric-type, learn Dig, a ground-type move?"

"I simply programmed a TM for it. Easy." said Ash in a nerdy manor. Most of the students watching the battle rolled their eyes at Ash's nerdy reply, but May giggled. Like most of Ash's mannerisms, she thought it was cute.

"Whatever. I've had enough of this. I'm ending this now. Serperior; use your strongest Leaf Storm!"

Nothing from Serperior. Not even a reply. Much to Trip's surprise and Ash's pleasure, Serperior was paralyzed.

"WHAT?! WHEN?! HOW?!" growled Trip.

"Remember when your Serperior tried using Slam on Pikachu? The direct, skin-to-skin contact activated one of Pikachu's hidden moves; Static. It has a 30% chance of paralyzing any foe that physically attacks Pikachu. It seems your Serperior was unlucky enough to fall into that 30%."

"You're joking." muttered Trip.

"Nope, I'm afraid not. It's been fun Trip, but I think I've won this battle. Pikachu, use Thunder, full power!"

"Piiiiiiikaaaaa CHUUUUU!" hollered Pikachu as it shot a powerful bolt of lighting towards Serperior, hitting it's target perfectly. Another cloud of smoke formed, from the intensity of the attack.

When the smoke cleared, Serperior was still standing, albeit breathing heavily. Everybody's, including Ash's, jaws dropped at the fact that Serperior hadn't fainted yet.

_"Damn type advantage... If that Serperior didn't have it, it would have been fried." _thought Ash.

Everybody waited to see what would happen next. Serperior's eyes widened. It then shivered for a second before fainting, making Ash and Pikachu the official winners.

"Shit!" swore Trip under his breath as he returned Serperior to its ball. He then briskly walked off the field, ignoring Professor Birch's calls for him to come back.

"Good Job Pikachu." said Ash as Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder.

"Pika!" said Pikachu proudly.

"ASSSHHHH!"

Ash turned his head to see May fast approaching him. Not knowing what to do, Ash stood as still as possible. As soon as she was close enough, May swooped in to give Ash the most powerful bear-hug of his life.

"THAT WAS SO AWESOME! HOLY CRAP YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD TRAINER OMG OMG WOOHOOO YAAAAYYYYYYY!" shouted May. "Thanks for beating that meanie Trip!"

But due to May's running start, the force of the hug knocked both Ash and May over, causing them to land on the ground. But Ash was still being hugged.

"Ow." said Ash as he landed on the ground painfully.

He then glanced at all the other students in the class and saw that most of them were giggling. At first he wondered why, but he quickly realized. May was on top of him. Ash knew it was only because she accidentally knocked him over, but he knew his classmates probably thought dirtier thoughts. As much as he enjoyed May's praise over his victory and the hugs, he had to interrupt.

"Umm, M-may?" whispered Ash.

"AND THEN YOU USED DIG! THAT WAS SO AWESOME! AND-"

May did not hear him.

"May." said Ash louder.

"AND THAT VOLT TACKLE WAS TOP-NOTCH! I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT~!" squealed May, still not hearing Ash.

"May!" said Ash, raising his voice.

"THAT SERPERIOR WAS SCREWED FROM THE START!"

"MAY!" shouted Ash.

"Hmm?" asked May, completely oblivious to the first 3 times Ash had called her name.

"Y-You're kinda... _on _me." Said Ash, nervously chuckling.**  
**

May's eyes widened as she realized that she was in fact, on Ash. Her head slowly turned to all their classmates staring at them, and then to Ash. A tiny blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Oops." she said quietly.

"Hey you two!" called a student in their class, "Get a room!"

The rest of the student erupted into laughter, causing May to quicKly scramble off of Ash. Ash slowly got up from the ground, turned his hat back to normal, and followed May, who was heading to where all the other students were. They both stood silently, waiting for the next battle to begin. Neither of them really knew what to say. But once the next battle began, Ash cleared his throat and spoke.

"So..." said Ash, trying to start a conversation. "Is Wartortle okay?"

Ash turned his head and looked at May, who was staring at a blade of grass on the ground quite intensely.

"May?" said Ash, trying again. "How's Wartortle?"

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I just really hate grass sometimes, and I guess I spaced out. But anyway, Wartortle's fine, thanks to your AWESOME interruption." said May gleefully.

Ash paused for a moment. "_Of all the things to hate in the world... s__he hates grass...?"_

"Thanks for intervening. Wartortle might have been seriously messed up if you didn't step in. As a reward, I am buying us some ice-cream after school!"

"Wha-what?" asked Ash, his voice cracking. "B-but-"

"No buts mister! I believe a good bowl of sweet creamy goodness is the perfect reward for what you've done! And I know the greatest ice-cream parlor ever! Meet me near the cafeteria after school, okay?"

"O-okay." said Ash shakily.

_"D-...did we just arrange a date?" _Thought Ash confusedly.

* * *

Red sighed in content. Skipping school was the best. He got to sit in bed all day, watch TV, and eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Even better, all he had to do was pretend he was sick. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and opened his Notes app. He typed some words, and then read it to himself._  
_

**_"Note to self:_**

**_Skip school more often_ :)"  
**

Red smiled and tapped the "Save" button. He then stuffed his phone back into his pocket, sighing in content. Again. Deciding to take _another_ nap, Red readied himself to go to sleep. He looked at the time. It was 2:30pm. School ended half an hour ago. Ash should have been home already. He was about to send Ash a text message, asking where he was, when...

"Red! Can you come down here please?" called Mrs. Ketchum from the living room.

Red sighed, this time however, in discontent. He reluctantly removed his blankets off his body and trudged downstairs, as if he was sick. When he made it to the living room, his mother crossed her arms.

"Cut the act Red. I know you're not sick." said Mrs. Ketchum.

Red froze, his eyes wide. He then mouthed the word "How?"

"How? You aren't vomiting, you don't have a fever, you don't have a stomach ache, and you haven't sneezed, coughed, or sniffled all day. I think you stayed home for another reason. A reason you're not telling me."

Red's expression darkened slightly, remembering why he had stayed home. To stay away from Serena for a little and clear his head. Mrs. Ketchum noticed the change in Red's demeanor and sighed.

"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. I can see that whatever it is, it's bothering you. Have you talked to your brother about it?"

Red nodded.

"Okay. Just know that Ash and I are always here for you."

Red smiled softly and nodded. He then turned around, planning on going back upstairs.

"Hey, come back! That's not why I called you down here!" called Mrs. Ketchum. "We're out of milk, and I need you to go to the Super Market downtown and buy some more. I would have sent Ash, but apparently he's hanging out with a friend. Here's some money."

After counting the money, Red's eyes blinked a few extra times. He then looked at his mom, who chuckled.

"Yeah, there's some extra money in there. Go buy yourself something." said Mrs. Ketchum.

Smiling widely, Red zoomed up to his room, put some jeans, a shirt, and his signature hat on, and rushed out of the house, excited that he could buy something for himself with someone else's money.

Red happily strode down the street, not a care in the world. It was a lovely day outside, the warm sun shining it's light on Pallet Town. Halfway to the Super Market, Red stopped to examine his surroundings. Bright sun, people having conversations... Pidgies flying through the air... It was nice. Red looked around, and saw a girl rollerblading down the sidewalk. She was wearing sunglasses, a hat, and had a lollipop in her mouth. She also wore pink headphones that completely blocked out all sound except for the music she was listening to. She seemed to be daydreaming, as she had a blank expression on her face.

Red paused. The girl looked vaguely familiar...

But before Red could deduce who she was, he saw something horrible. Too absorbed in the catchy tune her headphones were playing, the girl carelessly crossed the street without looking both ways. She was so occupied by her daydreams and her music that she didn't even hear or notice the car that was zooming towards her at a high speed. The driver of the car hit the brakes, but it wasn't enough. He'd end up hitting her if someone didn't save her.

By instinct, Red quickly dashed over to the girl, tackling her out of the car's path. The girl's headphones and sunglasses were knocked off in the process.

Dazed and confused, the girl looked around, wondering what had happened. She saw a car driving away. After a couple seconds, she understood what had happened. She had been careless crossing the street, and that car was about to hit her. But someone saved her. It must have been the guy who was right next to her, face down on the ground, a hat on his head. His arm was still wrapped around her torso in a protective manor. _He _had saved her.

_"This hat looks familiar..."_ thought the girl.

Just then, her savior started to move. Red sat up, removing his arm from the girl's body. His hat's position was blocking his vision, so he adjusted it. The first thing Red saw sent chills through his spine. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly.

"Red?!" exclaimed the girl in shock, lollipop still in mouth.

Red's eyes remained wide. He had just saved Serena. It took all of Red's might to not run away from her. A wave of depression fell over him, as his demeanor instantly darkened. His eyes went from wide to narrow. But he suppressed the dark mood as quick as it came. Deep down, he knew that he shouldn't be mad at her. She had the right to like who she wanted. So, with a new-found surge of forced kindness, Red stood up, and offered Serena a hand to help her off the ground.

Serena cautiously grabbed his hand, pulling herself off the ground.

"Umm.. Thank you for um, you know, saving my life..." said Serena awkwardly.

Red grinned and scratched the back of his head. On the outside he seemed fine, but on the inside... he was dying. Deciding to end the encounter quickly, Red waved goodbye and turned towards the Super Market, planning on buying the milk for his mother and returning home. But before he could, Serena spoke again.

"Wait! Don't go yet..." called Serena. Red turned around to face her. "Why weren't you in school today?"

Red forced another smile. He then did a couple gestures with his arms, simulating someone vomiting. Serena tilted her head in confusion.

"I don't get it." she said flatly.

As calmly as his emotions allowed, Red pulled out his cell phone and typed some words. He showed Serena the screen.

**_"I was_ _sick_. _But I'm fine_**_** now**._"

"Oh." said Serena.

Red then turned to leave again. This time Serena watched him leave.

_"He saved me... How can he be so kind to me after I... I broke his heart? I'm sure that he's still hurting inside. He has to be, it's impossible not to. I feel like I should do something to thank him. But do I have the time? I was on my way to Kenny's house before all this happened... No... As much as I hate to say it...Kenny's going to have to wait. I have to do something for Red... Oh, I know!"_

"Red! Come back!" called Serena.

Red didn't even try to fake a smile this time. He just turned around, one of his eyebrows twitching in irritation.

"I was just wondering if you'd like to get some ice-cream with me? Whether you have money or not, I'll pay for both of us." said Serena hopefully.

After a few seconds to think it over, Red slowly nodded his head, a small but genuine smile on his face. Serena smiled back.

"I know this really great ice-cream parlor on the other side of town. Let's go." said Serena, grabbing Red's hand.

Both the teens froze. Both for the same reason. They were holding hands. Serena quickly let go, much to Red's disappointment. Red was so busy thinking about how awesome that 5 seconds of hand holding was that he didn't even notice the small blush that had appeared on Serena's face.

_"That's weird... I'm blushing. I usually only blush when Kenny's around..."_

* * *

"There it is!" exclaimed May childishly. "Frosty's Ice-Cream Parlor!"

Ash looked at the building analytically.

"I've never even heard of this place before." he said blandly.

"Well _you sir _have clearly never had good ice-cream then!" shouted May as she grabbed Ash, dragging him into the restaurant.

May and Ash found a table by a window and sat down. Almost immediately, a waiter came to take their orders. Ash let May order first.

"I'll have 3 scoops of banana fudge ice-cream with graham cracker crumbs on the top! Ash, what would you like?" said May.

"Umm.. Vanilla?"

"THAT'S SO BORING! Mr. Waiter, please ignore what he just said." said May to the waiter. "I'll order for him. He'll have french vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate chunks and a caramel swirl!"

The waiter nodded his head and left. Ash and May spent the next ten minutes talking about school, and other casual things. Ash had learned during their walk to the parlor that May was not the average girl. As she said before, she hated grass. She also played a lot of video games, and had an overactive imagination. At first Ash thought she was a tomboy, but he learned she wasn't, as she loved girly things as well. She was allergic to 6 vegetables, and she had a large collection of bandanas. She knew how to speak both English and French fluently, claiming that she picked up French "because she was bored'. All that mixed with her bubbly personality made her very unique. Ash loved everything about her.

Ash and May's conversation was interrupted by the waiter arriving with Ash and May's ice-cream. May thanked the waitor and began to slowly eat her ice-cream, savoring every spoonful. Ash on the other hand, stared at his bowl of ice-cream fearfully. May noticed that Ash wasn't eating.

"What's wrong Ash?"

Ash gulped. "I have a bad history regarding ice-cream..."

"Nonsense!" said May as she took Ash's spoon, took a spoonful of ice cream, and shoved it into his mouth.

Ash froze, his eyes wide. His pupils shrunk. He began to shake. Then, faster than a Rapidash, he grabbed his spoon and shoveled countless spoons of ice-cream into his mouth, his eyes still wide. He was a machine. He effortlessly swallowed spoonful after spoonful like a champ.

"Ash." called May, poking his arm.

Ash did not stop. His mind was in another dimension. The ice-cream dimension. He was one with the ice-cream. It seemed like his stomach had transformed into a bottomless pit that could only be filled by ice-cream. The gods of ice-cream had bestowed upon him the limitless power to devour the delicious frozen treat.

"Ash!" said May, shaking him.

He did not respond. It was as if he had emptied his mind of everything except ice-cream eating, and breathing. It seemed like his blood had left his body, being replaced by a never ending flow of rich ice-cream, entering every vein, artery, and capillary, invigorating each cell insid-

"ASH!" shouted May, snapping Ash out of his ice-cream rampage.

"Huh?" asked Ash in an exhausted voice, ice cream covering the lower half of his face.

"We have company." said May pointing to the two new figures walking towards them. "Hi Red! Hey Serena! What brings you here?"

* * *

**Yeah... I know this chapter was supposed to come out a few days ago... but the chapter just wasn't where I wanted it on Sunday night. Sorry bout that. Anyway, I wanna tell you guys some of my plans for this story. The next chapter picks up where this one left off. After the next chapter, there will be a one month timeskip. Just a heads up. As always, reviews of all types are welcome. Constructive criticism accepted as well. Have a beautiful wonderfultastic day.****  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	5. Tears

**Hi everyone! I'm gonna cut straight to the chase here; Everyone in this story is kinda if not, REALLY out of character. Especially May. She's a lot weirder in this story than in the show. Just throwing that out there officially. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I dunno why. Anyway, here's the Q&amp;A.  
**

Markenzie

aw man! You left me hanging! you know, your story is not boring AT ALL like other highschool themed stories! yours is actually fun to read, VERY fun to read! I hope you return the 'Red's Handy Dandy Marker, which he had all times' (did i type it right?) You're a very talented writer! keep it up! :D

**Answer: *Red's Handy Dandy BLACK Marker, which he has at all times.**

Advanceforever

Oh my god I just love this story! The advanceshippy parts are just so adorable, update sooner this time though. As for the grass, does May hate it cause of a certain grass head, seems possible.

**Answer: No. In an effort to make this story stand out from the usual 'Drew-Bashing Advanceshipping Fic', Drew will not appear in any way shape or form in this story. The hatred for grass was just to help the reader grasp just how weird May can be. **

readingforthelolzz

Will Kenny come walking through the door in the next chapter?

**Answer: No, but there will still be drama, so have no fear.**

JZuCuadra

um, what was up with the ice cream thing? just plain weird of you ask me

other than that, good chapter, and pikachu learning dig... sure, why not XD

**Answer: Lol the ice-cream thing is LOOSELY based off of a real life thing that happened to me in the process of writing the last chapter. I just felt like putting it in. And My Pikachu in FireRed knows Dig, which is where I got the idea from. And we all know Ash Ketchum always thinks outside the box.**

**Okay, here's chapter 5!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Tears

* * *

"May? _Ash?_ What are you two doing here?" asked Serena, startled.

"Ash and I were having some ice-cream. What are you and Red doing here?" asked May. She then stood up and whispered in Serena's ear, "Are you on a date?"

"No, we're not, but I could ask you the same thing. Are _you_ on a date?" whispered Serena back, pulling May aside.

"Nah, but I wouldn't mind going on a date with Ash. And _you_ shouldn't mind going on a date with Red!" whispered May with a fake pout.

Serena sighed. "We'll talk about this later."

Meanwhile, Ash and Red were having a silent conversation. Red looked at May, then at Ash, smiling. Ash smiled back sheepishly. Ash then glanced at Serena, then back to Red. He then pointed at Red, a questioning look on his face. Red sighed, waving off the subject. Ash took this as an "I'll tell you later."

Before Ash and Red could continue their silent communication, Serena and May turned towards to both of them.

"Is it okay if Red and I sit with you guys?" asked Serena.

"No problem. Red can sit next to Ash, and you can sit right here next to me, Serena." said May.

Red sat next to Ash, taking the seat closest to the window. Serena sat next to May, also taking a window seat. The four of them sat in an awkward silence. Red was mute, so speaking wasn't an option for him. Ash was experiencing the consequences of his ice-cream problem; a massive brain freeze. He was in too much pain to speak. May was occupied by her ice-cream. Serena wanted to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. She prayed to Arceus, hoping that something would spark a conversation.

Her prayers were answered.

Ash's brain-freeze intensified, and he began to clutch his head in pain. Serena took this as the perfect opportunity to say something.

"Ash, what's wrong?"

"Uhhh... Brain. Ice-cream. uughhh AGONY." grumbled Ash, resting his head on the table.

Red looked at May and raised an eyebrow. May tilted her head in confusion, then smiled, realizing what Red was asking.

"I forced Ash to eat ice-cream and then he-"

May didn't finish, because Red erupted into silent laughter. He laughed for about 2 minutes straight. May and Serena looked at each other in confusion, while Ash was mumbling barely audible curses and insults to Red. When Red's laughing finally ceased, he took out his cell phone and went to his videos. He went to a video labeled, "Ice-Cream Ash". He selected it. Ash raised his head just in time to see Red's phone screen.

"Red don't you dare show them that vid-AARRGH..." moaned Ash, his head falling back down to the table.

Red ignored Ash and pressed "Play", beginning the video. He pointed the phone at an angle that allowed May and Serena to see it as well...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The video began, revealing a younger Ash and Red at a birthday party. There were plenty of other people in the background as well. They were both standing, both staring at a cake that was in front of them. Written on the cake was "Happy 13th Birthday Red and Ash!". It was their party, and it was their cake. Both boys were staring at the cake hungrily, ready to devour it.  
_

_"Can we eat it now, Mom?" asked Ash impatiently, looking towards the camera. _

_"Hold on sweetie, you and Red have to blow out the candles first!" said Mrs. Ketchum, the person taking the video._

_Ash bent over and quickly blew out all the candles. When he blew out the candles, a sweet aroma entered his nose. Ash frowned as soon as he smelled it. He slowly stood up and looked towards the camera, a blank expression on his face.  
_

_"Mom. Why does this cake smell like...ice-cream?" asked Ash seriously._

_"Well that's because it's an ice-cream cake, dear." said Mrs. Ketchum.  
_

_In the background, Red could be seen smirking._

_"Mom, why would you buy an ice-cream cake? You know I can't eat it." said Ash sadly._

_"Ash, you'll be fine. I'm sure you've grown out of your little...problem." said someone in the background._

_Ash stared at the cake, fear evident all over his face. He and Red cut pieces of the cake for themselves and both sat down on chairs. While Red happily dug into his cake, Ash was shivering in fear. _

_"Ash." said Delia._

_"Y-yeah Mom?"_

_"Eat the cake."_

_"If I... snap, then it's your fault." said Ash to the camera._

_Ash gulped nervously, and grabbed his spoon. He scooped a small piece of ice cream and stared at it. He then took a deep breath and placed it in his mouth. Red was watching, with an excited smile on his face. Ash shuddered. His eyes widened._

_"Oh no... I thought he'd have grown out of it by now..." said Mrs. Ketchum. "Somebody guard the cake! Ash is in ice-cream mode!"_

_Ash began to shove the rest of his cake in his mouth, at a beastly pace. Right next to Ash, Red could be seen laughing hysterically. Red's laughter quickly ceased when Ash finished his own slice of cake, and set his sights on Red's slice. Even though Red was stronger, he couldn't stop Ash from tossing him aside and devouring his slice of cake._

_Once Red's cake was out of the equation, Ash dashed over to the whole cake, which was being guarded by a close family friend, Brock Harrison.  
_

_"Ash, I won't let you get to the cak- AAAAGGGHHHHH!" cried Brock as Ash, with a running start, headbutted Brock in the stomach. _

_Brock fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. Ash then let out a maniacal laugh._

_"ICE-CRRREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMM!" hollered Ice-Cream Ash. He then smashed his face into the cake, destroying it. _

_Ice-cream splattered everywhere, a lot of it landing on Delia. Ash slowly turned to the camera, pure ice-cream insanity etched in his eyes.  
_

_"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE-CREEEEEAAAAAAMMMM!" roared Ash, rushing towards the camera._

_"Uh-oh." said Delia. The video then abruptly ends.  
_

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

When the video ended, Red was smiling, Serena was horrified, and May was laughing. Ash was still face down on the table, groaning in both pain and embarrassment.

"Hahahaha, oh man, Ash," said May, fighting back tears of laughter, "why didn't you tell me you go on ice-cream rampages? If you told me, we would have went somewhere else!"

"I tried to tell you, but you didn't let me speak... I've been working on controlling it, but obviously I haven't been working hard enough." said Ash, his brain-freeze finally weakening.

"Well you've clearly been working on it, because you weren't nearly as bad today as you were in that video." said May, taking Ash's hat off his head so she could mess his hair up, as if it wasn't messy already.

"M-my hat! Give it back!" said Ash a smile forming on his face.

"Nope!" giggled May, using one hand to lift the hat in the air, while the other hand was used to keep Ash away. Eventually May got out of her seat and ran around the parlor, Ash chasing her around.

Serena watched Ash and May fool around, a small smile on her face. She could see that they were perfect for each other. She was truly happy for her sister, as not many boys seemed to like her because of her unusual personality. It was fairly obvious that Ash had a large crush on May. The evidence was everywhere, the strongest piece being the fact that Ash blushed whenever he was next to May.

_"I hope he asks her out soon..." _thought Serena.

Her eyes then trailed down to the table, as she began to think about her own love life.

_"I'm happy for May... but what about me? No matter what I do... Kenny never notices me. It seems like he's always trying to impress May and... not me. I've been waiting for years, hoping that one day he'll see me as more than just a close friend. Why can't he see that I love him? I've turned down so many guys, thinking that it'll all pay off when Kenny asks me out one day. But what if... what if he never does?"_

Serena found her eyes wandering towards Red, who was looking at her. He had a worried expression on his face. At first Serena wondered why Red looked so concerned, but she realized why. She felt it. Rolling down her face was a single tear. She was weeping. And Red noticed.

"I'm fine Red. Really." said Serena in a hushed tone, not wanting Ash or May to notice.

Red was not convinced. Red took off his hat, revealing his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times (yes, he keeps it under his hat). He then took a napkin from the center of the table and began to draw on it. Once the drawing was finished, he showed it to Serena. It was a funny drawing of Ash. Ash had spiky teeth and his eyes were going in two opposite directions. He was pouring ice-cream in his mouth with a snow shovel. Serena couldn't help but laugh at the drawing. It was hilarious. Red laughed along too, happy that he could cheer Serena up.

Mid laughter, Red saw something out of the corner of his eye. His laughing came to a sharp halt as he looked outside. He was sure he had seen a flash go off. He looked at where he thought he saw it, but found nothing. He then looked at Serena, who was also looking outside.

"Hey Red... Did you see something?" asked Serena.

Red nodded.

"It was a small flash of light, right?" asked Serena.

Red nodded again.

"I saw it too... I wonder what it was." said Serena.

"Hello, may I take your order?" asked the waiter, who had just noticed that Red and Serena were in the parlor.

"Oh, I almost forgot that we came here for ice-cream just like May and Ash." said Serena. "I'll have chocolate. chocolate everything."

"So chocolate ice-cream, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles?" asked the waiter.

"I'll also have a double-chocolate cookie on the side." said Serena with a smile.

Serena looked at Red, who was amazed by all the... _Chocolate. _

_"_What?" asked Serena. "I like chocolate."

"What would you like sir?" asked the waiter.

"He'll have chocolate ice-cream. Red loves everything chocolate." said Ash, returning to the table with May, wearing Ash's hat, not too far behind. They both seemed to be out of breath. Since Ash's hat was on May's head, it was clear Ash lost the battle for his hat.

The waiter nodded his head and decided to give Red the same thing Serena ordered. He then left, leaving the group of four alone.

"Huh, what a coincidence," started May with a sly smile. "Serena is _obsessed_ with chocolate! You guys are a great pair of chocolate lovers!"

If looks could kill, May would have spontaneously combusted by then, as Serena was giving her an intense death-glare. May noticed and responded with a friendly smile. Serena was just about ready to choke May. As May sat down next to Serena, Serena harshly pulled May aside.

"May and I are going to the bathroom, we'll be right back." said Serena with a smile.

May followed her, a smug smile on her face. Once they reached the women's bathroom, Serena closed the door behind them and put her hands on her hips.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Serena.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." said May with a mischievous smile.

"You know exactly what you're doing. You're implying that Red and I become a couple!" said Serena through gritted teeth.

"How was I doing that?" said May, feigning innocence.

"'A great pair of chocolate lovers'? take out the word 'chocolate', and you have 'A great pair of lovers'! You did that on purpose!" said Serena.

"Maybe it was on purpose, maybe it wasn't. What do you care?" asked May.

"You know that I don't _like _like Red! Stop trying to put us together!" growled Serena.

"If you don't like Red, why are you getting ice-cream with him?" asked May.

Serena paused.

"I'm waiting for an answer." said May.

"He... saved me."

"Oh yes, just give me the most vague answer you can think of. I totally know what you mean by 'save', because I'm psychic like that." said May sarcastically.

Serena glared at May before continuing. "I was rollerblading down the street. I was too busy daydreaming to realize that a car was coming. Long story short, Red saved my life by pushing me out of the way."

"HE SAVED YOUR LIFE?!"

"Shhhhh..." hushed Serena. "...Yeah, he did."

"How can you not love him?! You broke his heart YESTERDAY, and sent the shattered remains into the bottomless pit known as the Friend-Zone! Even with all that pain, he still loved you enough to save you! I'm honestly surprised he's able to be in the same room as you right now, as he must be dying on the inside! Serena, ice-cream is not going to make up for what he's gone and is going through! I highly doubt Kenny would do the same if he was in Red's shoes!" said May furiously.

"Don't bring Kenny into this." snapped Serena.

"Why? Red's twice the man Kenny will ever be." said May, arms folded.

"You are so infuriating!" yelled Serena.

"Why? I'm just telling you like it is. Red would treat you 100x better than Kenny would, and you know it. You've turned down so many good guys because of 1. your high standards which Kenny doesn't even meet half of, and 2. because of this stupid dream you have that Kenny will one day stop drooling over me like a pig and fall for you! Red is everything you need in a guy, but you're too blinded by your stupid 'love' for Kenny to see it!" said May.

"There is absolutely nothing between Red and I, and there never, _**EVER **_will be!" shouted Serena, tears building up in her eyes. She then opened the door to leave the bathroom...

* * *

Ash waited for Serena and May to be out of sight. As soon as they were, a large smile appeared on his face.

"You're the greatest brother in the whole fucking world!" he hollered.

Red tilted his head in question.

"Your plan was a success! First of all, you got Battle Day moved to today! Then I was able to impress May by kicking Trip's ass in a battle! And as a reward, she took me out for ice-cream! LIFE IS GOOD, AND YOU'RE AN AWESOME BROTHER!"

Red smiled as he gave Ash a thumbs up.

"So, how did you and Serena end up here?" asked Ash.

Red's face went from relaxed to serious. He took a deep breath and then proceeded to perform a series of hand gestures and motions only Ash could understand. Ash nodded his head when Red had finished the gestures.

"So, let me get this straight:" started Ash. "You were sent by Mom to go buy some milk because I was busy. On the way you encountered a girl who was rollerskating absentmindedly. A car was coming, and she had no idea. You ran over and saved her. You then learned that this girl was Serena. After a few questions and other words, she invited you to get some ice-cream with her. And that's how the two of you ended up here, right?"

Red nodded.

"Wow... Well, don't give up Red. The fact that she brought you here must mean she's somewhat fond of you. And I'm sure saving her life will give some bonus points."

A small, hopeful smile appeared on Red's face. Maybe Ash was right. Maybe if he played his cards right, he really might have another chance. Red began to think of all the things that he could do to make Serena fall in love with him. He was getting excited. But, all the excitement came with a price. Red had the sudden uncontrollable urge to use the bathroom. He, as politely as possible, shoved Ash out of the way, dashing for the bathroom.

He was about to enter the men's bathroom, when he heard what sounded like May and Serena's voices coming from the women's bathroom. Curious, Red approached the door.

"...but you're too blinded by your stupid 'love' for Kenny to see it!"

That sounded like May.

What Red heard next made his heart sink.

"There is absolutely nothing between Red and I, and there never, _**EVER **_will be!"

That was Serena's voice.

Red felt nothing. He didn't even feel hurt. He just felt empty. It was bad enough that Serena didn't love him. He accepted that. He had come to terms with that. But to think that _Kenny_ was the one she loved... It was depressing to say the least. Deciding that he had heard enough, Red turned away towards the mens bathroom. But...

* * *

Serena's teary eyes widened. Standing right by the door was Red. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing. No sadness, no anger, no grief. Just emptiness. Before Serena could even say anything, Red calmly walked away, not even acknowledging her existence.

"Red wait! She didn't mean it!" called May, chasing after Red.

This left Serena alone in the bathroom. The tears fell. And fell. And fell. In each tear, there was a variety emotions. Stress, Guilt, Anger, Confusion and Sadness.  
The most prominent one being Guilt. She had broken Red. Again. Each of May's words stung her deeply. And the truth behind many of May's words only made the pain dig even deeper. Kenny would never love her, would he? She had made it fairly obvious countless times that she was romantically interested in him, but he never paid it any mind. Even when he was dating Dawn, his eyes were always on May.

May. As much as Serena hated to admit it, May was right about everything. Serena had rejected so many boys, the latest being Red, who was the sweetest of them all. Red didn't deserve any of the pain she had caused. He had simply fallen for her, and who's fault was that? No one's. Her inner guilt grew every second she stood crying in the bathroom.

_"Wh-what will I do th-though..." _thought Serena. _"I can't just stop l-liking Kenny and force myself to love R-red... Love doesn't work that w-way... But he deserves a chance though. Maybe if I get to know him better..."_

Serena's tears began to slow down.

"M-maybe I should go find him and apologize..." thought Serena aloud, wiping the remaining tears off her face. She then walked over to the mirror by the sink and looked at herself. Her eyes were red and puffy from her tears, and her make up was messy. "But first, I have to go home and clean myself up."

* * *

Ash was very confused to see an emotionless Red jog out of the parlor, with a sad looking May following soon after. He watched confusedly as they ran down the street.

"What the heck...Where are they going?"

"Here are the two meals, sir." said the waiter, arriving with Red and Serena's ice-cream. "Where are the people who ordered these?"

"Oh, um, one stepped out for... some fresh air, and the other one's in the bathroom." said Ash.

The waiter nodded in understanding and walked off. Ash's reply to the waiter reminded him that Serena was still in the parlor. She was in the bathroom. Maybe she knew why Red and May ran out. Ash stood up from his seat. But as soon as he stood, Serena emerged from the bathroom and hurriedly walked out of the parlor, leaving just Ash there.

"What the?! Serena wait up!" called Ash and he tried to go after her.

But he couldn't, as someone was holding his arm.

"Sir, you cannot leave without paying."

"Oh, sorry, how much is it?" asked Ash, pulling out his wallet.

"For all four of you, $28.00." said the waiter.

"TWENTY EIGHT DOLLARS FOR ICE-CREAM?! I only have 24 dollars with me!"

"Then it seems you'll have to pay off those $4 in work then. You can start by wiping down all these tables. Here's your spray bottle and cloth. When you're finished, scrape the gum off the bottoms of the tables. You can leave after that." said the waiter, handing Ash the cleaning supplies.

Ash stared at the cleaning supplies that were placed in his hands, stupefied.

"Why me?" asked Ash to himself as he miserably wiped down a table.

* * *

_*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*_

"Who is it?"

"Just open the damn door, Kenny."

Recognizing the voice, Kenny opened the door. Standing in front of him was his long time friend, Trip. He had his camera in hand.

"What do you want Trip? You can't stay too long, I'm expecting someone." said Kenny impatiently.

"Is that 'someone' you're expecting Serena by any chance?" asked Trip.

"Yeah, it is. She wanted to hang out with me. Again." said Kenny.

"She's not coming."

"What do you mean 'she's not coming.'?"

Trip turned on his camera and went through the pictures saved on it. When he found the one he was looking for, he showed it to Kenny. It was a picture of Red and Serena laughing in an ice-cream parlor, with Ash and May running around in the background.

"I was walking around town when I saw them. I thought that you'd want to know, so I took a picture. Red almost caught me too. That mute ass noticed the flash from my camera." grumbled Trip.

Kenny was still looking at the picture. Sure, he was a little annoyed that Serena had ditched him for Red, but he didn't care that much. Serena wasn't as important to him as a certain brunette was. And it angered him to see that certain brunette running around in the background of the picture with Ash Ketchum. _Ash. Ketchum._

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" asked Kenny, roughly returning Trip's camera. "He's got some serious balls to play around with her... Ketchum will shit himself when I'm through with him."

"Which one? They're twins dumbass." said Trip.

"Ash." said Kenny venomously.

"_Ash? _Why Ash? He was just running around with- Oh shit, you like May?!"

"Always have."

"We've been friends for 3 years, and I've just learned this... Whatever. What about Dawn?"

"Fuck Dawn." snapped Kenny. "Part of the reason she dumped me was because of how often I checked out May."

"Oh. So what are you going to do him?"

"I'm going to give him a talk."

* * *

Once Ash had done enough work to pay off the ice-cream bill, his next task was to find everyone. After 10 minutes of brainstorming, Ash had come up with a plan of action. He was going to look for Red first. If his memory served him correctly, Red had to go buy milk for their mother, which meant that Red was probably at the Super Market. And since May followed him out, she was probably there too. As for Serena, maybe Red or May would know about her whereabouts.

Ready to scold everyone for leaving him with the bill, Ash set out for the Super Market. The sun was setting, and Ash wanted to find Red before dark. Their mother would be worried sick if they came home late for dinner. So Ash decided it would be best to jog to the Super Market, saving time. Ash's poor health made the jog seem hours long, when it was actually 8 minutes long. But little did he know, a certain honey-blonde girl had followed him.

Out of breath, Ash arrived at the Super Market. He walked in, and it didn't take long to find a soulless looking Red strolling down the dairy isle, a large carton of milk in hand. He was facing in Ash's direction, but had no reaction to his brother's arrival. Following close behind Red was a worried looking May, who was trying to break Red from his emotionless state. She was still wearing Ash's hat. Her back was turned towards Ash, so she didn't see him.

"Red, Serena's just confused. She doesn't know what she wants right now. I promise you that in the end, she'll realize she wants you! Please, stop being so... so empty!" pleaded May.

Red did not pay her any attention whatsoever.

"Reddddd! Answer meeeee!" begged May, softly jabbing his arm.

"What the hell happened?!" roared a livid Ash, approaching Red and May. He then placed his hand out, signalling May to return his hat to him. She did just that, and with that, he continued his rant. "You all go to the bathroom, and whoop-dee-freaking-doo, 5 minutes later, I am ditched with a TWENTY EIGHT DOLLAR BILL! I had to clean that God-forsaken parlor to pay off the money I wasn't able to give them! I scraped 43 pieces of gum off the bottoms of the tables; I COUNTED!"

While Red just stared at Ash, May nervously smiled, scratching the back of her head. "Heheh... we're really sorry about that... I'll explain everythin-"

"I'll explain." said a new voice.

Ash and May turned around, to see where to voice came from. Red did not turn around, as he was already facing the person. His facial expression finally changed. His face went from plain to annoyed. The person entering the conversation was Serena. But Red was not the only one that did not look happy to see Serena. May looked like she was about to explode. The only one who wasn't glaring at Serena was Ash, who just stood there confused, wondering why Red and May were so unhappy with Serena's presence.

"What are _you _doing here?" asked May angrily. "Don't you think you've already done enough damage, meanie?"

Serena payed no attention to May's words and turned to Ash.

"Ash, I speak for the three of us when I say that I'm so sorry that we left you at the parlor. We didn't mean to, but certain things happened that caused us to leave the parlor. I promise it won't happen again."

"Hmph. Apology accepted." said Ash to May, Red and Serena. "But I want to know what happened."

"I'll tell you that too." said Serena calmly. "May and I went to the bathroom to talk, and it escalated to an argument. It was a stupid argument, in which May was the voice of reason. At some point, Red heard part of the argument, along with the stupid, harsh words I said. Red left immediately after, and May followed him. After a minute or two of thinking about the severity of what I did, I left also."

"Well what 'stupid, harsh words' did you say?" asked Ash.

"Yeah Serena, what 'stupid, harsh words' _did_ you say?" asked May, hands on her hips.

"Horrible, _horrible_ words that I wish I never said." said Serena, turning to Red, her eyes already watering. "I am _so_ sorry Red. So, so sorry. I've been a real bitch to you since we've met, while you've been nothing but kind. I've come to realize that I've been pretty stupid when it comes to certain choices I've made in the past few years... Red, please don't listen to the words you heard me say in that bathroom. I was wrong, and I was stupid. I _do_ want to be your friend, and maybe somewhere along the road, something more. I have May to thank for helping me realize that. If you don't want to be near me, I understand. I get it. I wouldn't want to be around me either. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

By the end of her touching monologue, tears were already freely flowing down Serena's face. May had already forgiven her sister, and was speechless, touched by the amount of emotion put into Serena's apology. Ash was equally as touched. Red no longer looked annoyed. During the apology, Red's face slowly turned back to his emotionless state. Serena's face saddened as she looked into his eyes. They were still emotionless. Then for a split second, emotion returned to Red's eyes, and Serena seized the opportunity. Before Red could even blink, She gave him a hug, burying her face into his chest.

"I'm sorry." sobbed Serena, her voice muffled.

May and Ash looked at Red, who was no longer soulless. His face was calm and relaxed, a small smile creeping on his face. He nodded his head at Ash and quickly motioned his head towards the milk he was holding. Ash hurriedly scurried over and took the milk from Red, giving Red the chance to hug Serena back.

At the feeling of being hugged back, Serena's teary eyes widened, and she removed her face from Red's shirt, looking up at him. She was met with a warm smile from Red. Serena buried her face in Red's chest again, this time crying tears of joy. May and Ash both watched, happy that Serena and Red were finally friends. But dinner time was approaching, and neither May nor Ash were the type of people who could skip dinner.

"Alright, alright," said May, walking over to Serena. "Serena, as much as I'd love to give you more time with Red, it's almost dinner time. Mom and Dad's heads are going to explode if we're late."

"Same for us, Red." said Ash.

Serena and Red knew that their siblings were right. As great as it would be for them to have fun with their new friendship, they had to go. Reluctantly, Red pried Serena off of him. With a smile on her face, Serena stretched out a hand.

"Friends?" she asked Red.

Red smiled and nodded, shaking her hand.

"C'mon Serena! Let's go, food awaits us! Bye Red! Bye Ash!" said May, pulling Serena away.

"Bye Red! I'll see you tomorrow!" called Serena.

Red and Ash smiled and waved goodbye. Then, there was silence. Then, without warning, Red bear hugged Ash, lifting him off the ground.

"Gahh! Get off of me!" laughed Ash. "Put me down! We have to buy the milk and go home!"

Red released Ash, a huge smile on his face. He quickly nodded his head and skipped towards the front of the store. Ash smiled and followed Red to the front of the store.

_30 minutes later..._

Ash and Red sat in their room, waiting for dinner to be ready. Ash was studying, while Red was laying on his bed, bouncing a small rubber ball back and forth off the wall. It was a comfortable silence.

"Ash! Red! One of your friends is here to talk to you!" called Mrs. Ketchum.

Ash and Red both paused their activities.

"A friend? Red, are you expecting anyone?" asked Ash.

Red shook his head.

"Neither am I..." said Ash. He then shrugged his shoulders. "Send them up Mom!"

Expecting Gary, or one of Ash's Computer Club friends, Ash and Red were incredibly surprised to see _Kenny _enter their room. Red immediately sat up, his whole body tense.

"Calm down, idiots. I'm here to talk." said Kenny, arms folded.

"About what?" spat Ash.

"About the Maple twins." retorted Kenny.

"What about them?" asked Ash.

Kenny walked up to Ash.

"I want you two to stay away from them." he said venomously. He then looked Ash dead in the eye. "Especially you. I don't want you anywhere near May."

Red snorted and just turned the other way, gaining more interest in the paint on the walls than Kenny. Ash was fuming.

"Fuck you, you can't tell me what to do." said Ash boldly.

Both Kenny's and Red's eyes widened at Ash's bold statement. Kenny pulled his fist back to punch Ash, but he realized it would be a bad idea to do that in Ash's own house. So he lowered his fist, grunted, and turned to leave. But before he left, he gave Ash and Red one final statement.

"Serena and May are MINE. If I see either of you dickheads near them again, you'll regret it."

Kenny stomped his way out of the Ketchum residence. Once again, there was silence in Ash and Red's room. After a few minutes, Ash finally spoke up.

"Fuck Kenny!"

* * *

Serena laid alone in her room. Dinner was over, and Serena, May and Max had retreated to their rooms. Serena laid in her bed, a satisfied smile on her face. The day was quite eventful, and she was exhausted. But despite her tiredness, she couldn't fall asleep. Her excitement to see her latest friend, Red, at school tomorrow was keeping her awake. Deciding that talking about it will probably help, Serena got out of bed and quietly walked over to May's room, which was across the hall.

Serena slowly opened the door to May's room, to find May...well, being May. She was sitting at her homework desk playing with a yo-yo while watching a horror movie on her laptop. Serena rolled her eyes, not surprised by her sister's odd activities. May, noticing that someone was in her room, paused the movie and turned her head to see who it was. Once she saw who it was, she resumed her movie.

"Hey. Can't sleep?" said May.

"Yeah." said Serena.

"I'm gonna go out on a whim here and say that you're excited to see Red, and you can't sleep because you're all fired up?"

"Yes."

"Oh lord, you're _definitely_ crushing on him." said May, her eyes not leaving her laptop's screen.

"I don't know if I'd say that yet... But he's definitely special." said Serena dreamily.

"Mmmmmhm. If you can't fall asleep, try drinking some of this." said May, opening a drawer in her desk. She pulled out a small box and tossed it to Serena.

Serena caught the box and looked at it.

"Chamomile Tea?" read Serena aloud.

"Yeah. That stuff puts me to sleep in minutes."

"Thanks." said Serena.

May, still watching the horror movie, gave Serena a thumbs up. Serena smiled and stood up to leave. When she reached the doorway, she paused.

"May, thanks for... talking some sense into me. You were right about everything."

May paused her movie and put down her yo-yo. She then turned around and looked at Serena. "What do you mean?"

"You know... about Kenny and the Ketchums."

"No problemo. I'm your older sister, I always know what's best for you." said May with a smirk.

"Oh shut up, we're twins. You're only older than me by 7 minutes. And everyone thinks I'm older anyway because of how mature I am."

"7 minutes or 7 years, it doesn't matter. I'm older." said May, trying to start a silly argument with Serena.

"I'm not arguing over something stupid like this. Goodnight." said Serena, leaving the room.

"Serena wait!" called May. Serena waited. "Where are we sitting for lunch tomorrow?"

"Is it even a question?" chuckled Serena. "With the Ketchums of course."

* * *

**Okay, that's that. Serena has finally given in. Her actual personality from the show will start to come out now that she's comfortable with Ash and Red. Next chapter skips a month or two, so Ash, Red, May, and Serena will all be a lot closer to each other next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review as you see fit!**

**~DarkSlash9**


	6. Frights

**Hey! Be prepared, this chapter will be pretty lengthy. As for how long, I dunno, but it'll be long. It's also more on the romantic side, but there will still be some humor thrown in there.  
**

**Q&amp;A:**

Foreveralone28 chapter 5 . Apr 6

oh, hehe. I was purely shocked when i saw my name back there! but anyways, thanks for correcting me! :D by the way i loved this chapter but wait, KENNY! KENNY LIKES MAY?! Okay, this is kinda hard to process...KENNY?! From all the people you put in, KENNY?! Not that i hate him or anything...but KENNY! okay, i said too much of...kenny... so awkward...

**Answer: Yeah, Kenny likes May. As for why I chose Kenny... I like being random. **

Qruis chapter 5 . Apr 5

Okay... that explains the "ice-cream-rush"...  
Just a question... Why the next chapter skips "a mont or two"?  
Taking that apart it was fun to see how Red's life goes away. Again.  
Keep it up!

**Answer: Read the chapter and find out. :)**

13TheAce

Talk about a roller coaster of emotion for Red. Felt sad for him, then he bear hugged Ash and I was happy. Thank you Serena for finally growing a brain! Unfortunately, now we have Kenny. Is he same size as in the anime? Or did I miss him getting bulkier?

**Answer: He's the same size, but he's strong. Stronger than Ash.**

**Okay, I think that's it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokeymans.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Frights

* * *

"Serena, you have no idea how super-duper-mega-awesome tonight is gonna be."

"Yes, I do. I was there when we planned it, in case you forgot."

It was October 31st. Halloween. Two months had passed since that day at the ice-cream parlor. In those two months, so much had changed in the lives of Serena and May Maple. Serena and Red had become nearly inseparable, always being seen with one another. May and Ash, if possible, were even closer than Serena and Ash were. The group of four visited eachother's houses frequently, their families becoming friends.

But their new friendships did not come without a price. They were often pestered by Kenny, who Serena had cut out of her life. But none of them let Kenny's antics get to them. But that didn't mean Kenny gave up. But there was no way his annoying acts could get in the way of the fun May and Serena were going to have with Ash and Red that night.

They had planned it for weeks. Instead of trick-or-treating, they were going to the outskirts of Pallet Town, which was an open grassland filled with tall grasses and cornfields. Every year on Halloween night, the town's volunteers would create a "haunted" maze in the cornfield. Lurking around in the maze were people in ghost costumes and other scary things. And to top it all off, whichever team of two finds the "Magical Pumpkin" in the center of the maze would win a 100% free meal at the restaurant of their choice. All in all, it was going to be a fun night, and May couldn't wait.

But unfortunately, school wasn't over yet.

"We're gonna have so much funnn!" squealed May, as she walked down the school hallway, Serena right next to her.

"May, calm down. School isn't over yet." giggled Serena. "We still have 9th period left. Once that's over, then you can be all jumpy."

"Oh fine. I'm sure _you're_ excited too. You and Red. Alone in a dark maze. Oooooooohh!~~" said May, saying the last part in a sing-song voice.

"Sh-shut up!" stuttered Serena, blush forming on her face. "Wh-what about you? You and Ash are gonna be together in the maze too!"

"So? I've already admitted to you that I like Ash a couple days ago. You, on the other hand, are still denying your crush on Red." said May with a grin.

"I d-don't have a crush on him... Not at all!" said Serena, blushing even more.

"You're blushing." said May.

"That proves nothing!"

"Whatever, I have to go to Spanish class now. Goodbye, Mrs. Denial." said May, leaving.

"Bye." muttered Serena.

May then turned in another direction, leaving Serena to walk to her next class. Having no one to talk to, Serena's mind drifted into a subject that it thought of quite frequently: Red.

_"I can't wait for tonight... alone time with Red is the best. He's such a great person to be around..." _thought Serena with the smallest of smiles on her lips.

Despite her words, Serena in fact, _did _have a small crush on Red. She just refused to let May know. It wasn't that she didn't trust May, of course not; they were twin sisters, she trusted May more than anyone. But Serena simply wasn't an open book like May was. She preferred to keep some things to herself, and her growing romantic interest in Redwood Ketchum was just one of those things.

* * *

Ash Ketchum watched the clock intensely. Just 6 more minutes, and 9th period would end, allowing him to go home and prepare for the awesome night he, Red, Serena, and May had planned.

_"I swear, this clock must be moving in slow motion or something." _thought Ash impatiently. He adjusted his glasses and cracked his knuckles. Two things he only did when he was losing his patience.

Out of everyone in Pallet Town, Ashton Ketchum had changed the most in the past two months. His braces had been removed, revealing a smile that rivaled Red's. Puberty had hit his vocal cords like a missile, turning his voice into one of the deepest voices in the school. His self-esteem and confidence had risen, along with his ability to control his blushing around May. Even with all these upgrades, Ash was still able to maintain his geeky personality and messy hairdo that May adored so much.

There he sat in Advanced-Placement Human Biology, his final class of the day. Ash's attention was solely on the clock, and soon, his teacher noticed.

"Mr. Ketchum, a recurrent acute and chronic inflammation and thrombosis of arteries and veins of the hands and feet is a symptom of what dis-"

"Thromboangiitis Obliterans." said Ash, his eyes still on the clock.

The teacher glared at Ash, annoyed that Ash answered the question correctly even though he wasn't paying attention. Ash smiled at the teacher, aware of what the teacher tried to do. Being the smartest kid in the school really came in handy sometimes. Ash glanced at Serena, his lab partner. Her eyes were also glued to the clock.

_"Looks like I'm not the only one who's excited for tonight." _thought Ash.

In the past two months, Ash and Serena's friendship grew the least. Sure, they spoke, but they were no where near as close as Ash was with May or Serena was with Red. Even Red and May were closer than Ash and Serena were. But they still considered eachother as friends, though the only time they had full conversations was when they had to complete a biology experiment.

_Ring! Ring!_

Finally, the bell had rung, signalling the end of the school day. Ash was the first person out of the room, followed by Serena.

"Bye Serena." said Ash as he turned to leave.

"Wait Ash," called Serena. Ash turned around, an eyebrow raised. "Could you and Red come to our house at 5:30?"

"Ummm sure. Why though?" asked Ash, puzzled by Serena's odd request. "I thought we all planned on meeting up at 6:30."

"May's too excited. I think waiting til 6:30 will kill her." said Serena with a smile. "And besides, you guys coming at 5:30 gives us all more time to hang out together."

"Oh, okay. Later." said Ash, leaving.

"Bye." said Serena.

Ready to go home, Ash walked upstairs to the boys bathroom, where he and Red met after school every day. When he arrived, as expected, Red was there waiting for him. The brothers greeted eachother and left the school, heading home.

On their walk home, Ash and Red passed Kenny's house. Ash couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes watching him as he passed the house. He glanced over and saw Kenny in a window, staring. If Kenny's facial expression could be manifested into words, it would be "I hate you.". Ash glared back, letting Kenny know the feeling was mutual.

Red noticed what was going on and sighed. With one hand he turned Ash's head away from Kenny, ending their heated staring contest.

"What?" asked Ash defensively.

Red sighed and pulled out his handy dandy black marker, which he had at all times. He then pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and wrote on it. After his message was complete, he folded the paper and tossed it at Ash's face. The paper bounced off Ash's face and landed in his hand. Ash unfolded it and read it.

_"Do not give him a reason to mess with us tonight. You know how he is. The smallest thing (like STARING HIM IN THE EYE ANGRILY) will set him off and make him form another stupid plan to get May and Serena to stop talking to us. And I'd rather have our plans for tonight go undisturbed. Don't you agree?"_

"Yeah, you're right..." said Ash. He looked up to see that he and Red had already arrived at their own home. "Let's get our homework done quick. We have to be at May and Serena's house an hour earlier than planned."

* * *

"Serena! Where's my orange bandana?!" hollered May.

"I don't know, probably with the rest of your collection. Where's my orange and black hat?" asked Serena in response.

"I dunno, probably with the 100 other hats you own!" replied May with sass.

The Maple house was in chaos. Max was out trick-or-treating, and Mr. and Mrs. Maple were still at work, leaving Serena and May alone in the house. It was 5:24. Ash and Red were to be there any minute, and Serena and May were still dressing up. May was tearing the house apart in search of her orange bandana, while Serena was calmly searching her room for her hat. Serena rolled her eyes as she heard May accidentally break a lamp in the living room.

"Oops." squeaked May.

_"Sometimes I wonder if we're really the same age..."_ thought Serena as she checked under her bed to reveal the hat that she was looking for. She smiled and put it on, her outfit complete.

With nothing else to do, Serena walked to the living room, to see a panicked May. May paid no mind to Serena's entrance and continued to destroy the living room in search of her bandana.

"Why is this such a big deal anyway?" asked Serena, dodging a cushion that was accidentally thrown at her. "Here's some advice: Go without a bandana."

May abruptly paused and slowly turned her head, pure surprise written on her face.

"Are you crazy?! Ash has never seen me without a bandana on!"

"So...?"

"I must have one on when around Ash at all times!"

"And why is that?"

"That's just the way it is!"

"Then why not just wear another orange bandana? You have tons of them."

"No! It has to be this one! It has cute little jack-o-lanterns on it!"

"Well hurry up and find it." said Serena, looking at her phone. "Because Red just sent me a text saying that they'll be here in 2 minutes."

"NONONONONONOOOOO!" cried May as she ran upstairs, leaving the living room a mess.

Serena looked around, seeing all the damage May had done. She sighed and started cleaning it up. But it wasn't long before Ash and Red arrived. The door bell rung, and Serena looked herself over in the mirror one last time before opening the door. The door was opened to reveal Ash and Red, both smiling, with bags of candy in their hands.

"Hey Ash, Hi Red." said Serena. Though she greeted them both, she was looking at Red the whole time. Her eyes then wandered down to the large bag of candy Red was holding. Her mouth immediately watered. "Ar-Are those Hershey ch-chocolate bars?"

Red nodded and gave her the bag.

"YIPEEEEEEEEEE!" squealed Serena, jumping around. She then hugged Red tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

A hug from Serena always had the same response from Red. First a blush, then a grin, then a smug "you're totally jealous" look towards Ash. Ash ignored Red's annoying smile and looked around. May was nowhere in sight.

"Um, Serena, do you know where May is?"

"She's upstairs, in frantic search of her Halloween bandanna." said Serena, ending her hug with Red.

"Can I go up?" asked Ash.

"...I think it would be safer if you called her down here." said Serena seriously.

"Ooooookay." said Ash, wondering what Serena meant by "safer". "May! It's me Ash! Come down; I have a surprise for you!"

Silence.

"May?" called Ash.

"I'm coming..." replied May in a depressed tone.

May slowly trudged down the stairs, upset over her missing bandana.

"Hi Ash..." said May.

"Hey May. Y'know, I've never seen you without a bandana on..." said Ash.

May froze in fear. Serena rolled her eyes.

"You look... pretty." said Ash, a small blush on his face.

May's frown turned into a large grin, type of grin a six year old has when they see their presents under their Christmas tree. Ash's shy smile turned into a scared frown, as he knew what was coming next. At the speed of light, May tackled Ash to the ground in one of her usual "hugs". Ash landed on the ground silently, accustomed to the pain that May's hugs often brought. While May and Serena weren't looking, Ash quickly looked at Red a gave him the same smug smile that Red always gave him. Red smirked and gave Ash the middle finger. Ash then turned to May, who was still hugging him.

"AND I WAS SAD BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND MY BANDANA AND-"

"Umm, May, I've got you something."

"AND THEN I ACCIDENTALLY BROKE A LAMP, AND-"

"May!" said Ash.

"AND THEN SERENA GAVE ME STUPID ADVICE, AND-"

"MAY!" called both Ash and Serena.

"Hm?" asked May innocently.

"I brought you some candy." said Ash.

"You did?" asked May, getting off of Ash.

"Yes." replied Ash, handing May the bag of candy. "You like Skittles right?"

"Kinda, I really only like the-" May opened the bag. "YELLOW ONES!"

Ash smiled, his plan a success. He had specially ordered a bag of Skittles that had nothing but yellow ones inside of it. May tackled Ash into another "hug", this one more painful than the last.

"Ouch." whispered Ash as May unintentionally suffocated him.

"May, I don't think Ash can breathe." said Serena, who was holding her large bag of chocolate bars as if it was a bag of gold.

"Hwha?" asked May, her mouth filled with yellow Skittles. She then looked down at Ash, who was gasping for air. She quickly hopped off of him. "Sowwy Asch."

"*breath* It's *gasp* okay..." wheezed Ash. "Now that *gasp* that's taken care *breath* of, I think it's about time we go."

"Yeah, Ash is right." said Serena, a chocolate bar hanging from her mouth as she spoke. "Let's go."

Serena walked outside, followed by Red, leaving only Ash and May in the house.

"Ready to go?" asked Ash.

"Wait." said May.

Words could not describe the pure surprise Ash felt when May got on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Ash was at a loss for words, as he wasn't even sure if he was dreaming or not. The line between dream and reality seemed to blur at that moment. Slowly, he raised a hand to the spot that May had kissed. His wide eyes just blinked multiple times, his brain failing to comprehend what had just happened.

"That's my way of saying 'thanks' for the candy." giggled May as she skipped towards the door. "Now come on, let's go!"

Ash blinked a couple times and grinned, following May out the door.

_"This night is already perfect." _he thought.

* * *

"I fucking hate those Ketchums." said Kenny, punching a wall.

"Dude, calm down. You're about to pee your pants out of pure rage." said Trip.

"You're letting them drive you crazy." added Cress.

"Shut up, both of you." retorted Kenny.

Kenny was in his room, along with his friends Cress and Trip. He had just finished telling them about how he and Ash had a deadly staring contest earlier in the day. Trip was annoyed, as Kenny had been obsessing over the Maples and the Ketchums nonstop for that past two months. Cress didn't seem to mind, as he usually tuned Kenny out whenever he went on one of his anti-Ketchum tirades. But this time, in order to shut Kenny up, Cress spoke.

"I heard from my brother Cilan that Ash and Red are hanging out with Serena and May tonight." said Cress.

"You have a brother?" asked Trip.

"Yeah, two actually. Cilan and Chili." said Cress.

Trip raised an eyebrow. "But your hair is blue, Cilan's is green and Chili's is red. How the hell-"

"Hair dye." said Cress.

"I don't give a flying fuck about your unnatural hair colors!" interrupted Kenny. "Where are Ash and May going?"

"I think they're going to the Haunted Maze. You know, that maze in the cornfields the town creates every Halloween." replied Cress.

"Hmmm..." hummed Kenny.

"What are you going to do Kenny? This sounds super duper interesting!" asked Trip in mock excitement.

"You'll see..." said Kenny, walking out of the room, clearly not amused with Trip's sarcasm.

* * *

Finally, Ash, Red, Serena and May had arrived at their destination: The Pallet Town Haunted Maze.

"Good evening, and welcome to the Haunted Maze. How many of you dare to enter?" asked the cashier at the ticket booth. He was an old man in a grim reaper costume.

"Four." said Serena.

"Okay, that will be $12 young lady." said the cashier.

Ash, Red and Serena each pulled out three dollars, while May frantically searched her pockets. As Serena and Red handed their money to the cashier, Ash glanced at May, who was looking rather panicked.

"Are you okay?" asked Ash.

"Heheh... I might have forgotten my money at home..." said May quietly.

Don't worry, I have enough money to pay for both of us." said Ash with a smile.

"Thanks. I'll pay you back tomorrow."

"You don't have to." said Ash as he gave the cashier six dollars.

"What a kind deed." said the cashier with a wise old grin. "Is she your... what do you youngsters call them these days... Oh yes! Is she your girlfriend?"

Red and Serena weren't paying attention, as they were both daydreaming. But Ash and May were paying attention. Ash somehow choked on air, while May stuffed her face with yellow skittles to avoid answering the question. Once Ash finished coughing, he quickly glanced at May, who was staring at him intensely, waiting to see what he would say.

"Ummm... n-not dating, but more than the average friendship." said Ash, scratching the back of his head.

May was slightly bothered by Ash's response. She didn't know whether to be happy with it or not. While he did say they were more than friends, he also said that they weren't dating, which was the truth. But still, hearing Ash say they weren't dating bothered May. She shrugged it off, not wanting such a trivial thing to occupy her thoughts all night.

"More than the average friendship, eh? Heheh, if you say so... Follow me kids." said the cashier as he stepped out of the booth.

Ash and May followed him immediately, while Red and Serena followed. It was not a long walk, and within minutes they were at the entrance to the maze. Before letting the teens enter, the cashier cleared his throat.

"Alright kids, this is your stop. But before you go, there are a couple rules that you must follow."

"Rules?" asked Ash.

"Yes, rules." said the cashier. "Rule #1: Your only source of light will be the moon. You cannot use a fire type pokemon for light. Example: you can't use a Charmander's tail flame as a light source or anything. Any use of fire is a hazard. We don't want the cornfields and grasses catching fire while everyone's in them."

"M'kay." said May, nodding her head.

"Rule #2: You cannot use a flying type pokemon to fly overhead and lead you in the right direction. It ruins the whole idea of being lost in a maze." said the cashier.

"Gotcha." said Ash.

"And finally, Rule #3: you may only travel in groups of two. No more, no less. So have you decided who's going with whom?"

"Yes." the teens said as they approached their partners.

Ash walked towards May, a nervous smile on his face. May smiled back, her beautiful sapphire eyes staring directly at his intelligent brown ones. Ash couldn't stop staring at her eyes. They seemed to have that effect on him quite often. But the moment was short lived however, as May took the opportunity to snatch Ash's hat off his head, something she found pleasure in doing.

"Catch me if ya can!" hollered May as she dashed into the maze, Ash's hat in hand.

"H-hey! Wait up!" laughed Ash as he ran in after her.

As soon as Ash and May were out of sight, the cashier spoke.

"Those two are quite the interesting pair." he said.

"Yeah, they are." agreed Serena.

"Well then, since they're already gone, I assume you two are going together?"

Red nodded, and held his arm out for Serena to grab.

"Oh my, what a gentleman." giggled Serena as she linked her arm with Red's. "Let's go."

Serena and Red strolled into the maze, arm in arm. While Serena's exterior seemed calm, but inside, she was barely able to contain the joy, excitement, and anticipation she was experiencing. Red felt the same, but he was used to it, as he felt like that every time he was around the girl of his dreams.

* * *

15 minutes had passed since May and Ash's entrance into the Haunted Maze. Ash had caught May, but he let her wear his hat anyway. For some reason, seeing her wear his hat felt good to him. They had spent the last fifteen minutes talking, mainly about trivial things such as their favorite candies, holidays and etc. Every once in a while, someone in a poorly made costume would hop out and attempt to scare them. Ash didn't jump or yell or anything, but his eyes did twitch a bit whenever something jumped out unexpectedly. But May, on the other hand, was fearless. Being a big fan of horror movies, she was desensitized to scary things. So whenever something jumped out, not only did she not flinch, she ignored it completely.

They were still talking when Ash heard something nearby.

"Although I've never considered chocolate covered-"

"Shhh..." hushed Ash. "I think I heard something..."

Ash and May listened, and soon they heard voices.

"Ugh, Gary, we've been here like, 5 times already! We're going around in circles!" whined a voice that sounded like Dawn.

"Dawn, please, let Gary fucking Oak take care of this. We're not going around in circles. It's all part of my master plan." said Gary confidently.

"Hm, yeah, your _master plan." _said Dawn sarcastically.

"Yeah! I always have a plan! You're my girlfriend! You're supposed to support me!" said Gary.

"Yes, I'm your girlfriend, and I love you, but I won't support a plan that doesn't exist." said Dawn sassily.

"GARY FUCKING OAK ALWAYS HAS A PLAN! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Gary.

That was all that was heard, as Gary and Dawn's voices soon faded away.

"Damn, I never knew Gary and Dawn were dating. What are they doing here?" said Ash.

"Yeah, Gary asked her out a week ago. They're probably here on a... date..." said May.

And just like that, at the mention of the word 'date', the atmosphere around Ash and May turned into Teen Awkwardness. May and Ash spent the next few minutes in silence, both thinking the same thing: Were _they _on a date? They _were_ two _single _teens, and it was just the two of them.

They both blushed at the thought, but lucky for them, the moon was providing the only light, making the red on their cheeks barely visible. Ash's mind was on fire with the sudden desire to have May for himself. He felt a small shot of confidence. And in that shot of confidence, he decided it was time for him to make his move.

"So..." said Ash, breaking the long silence.

"So..?" replied May.

"Do you ahhhh... do you like anyone?" asked Ash, not making eye contact.

"Yeah, do you?" replied May.

"Yeah..." said Ash.

Another long silence fell upon them. But this time, May broke it.

"Who?" she asked.

"Who what?" asked Ash, acting as if he didn't know what May was talking about.

"Who do you like?" she asked plainly.

"Who do _I_ like?" asked Ash.

"Yeah, who do you like?"

"I can't tell you. It's a secret." said Ash, pausing his walking. His small burst of confidence was very short-lived. _"Shit. What the hell have I gotten myself into!?"_

"Why not? Don't you trust me?" replied May, who also stopped walking.

"It's not that I don't trust you... I just... _can't_ tell you..."

"Fine, then I won't tell you who I like!" said May with a smirk.

"Alright alright, if you can guess who I like, then I'll tell you."

"Can you give me some hints?" asked May with puppy eyes.

"F-fine." Ash took a deep breath. "She's gorgeous, amazing, kind, book-smart, lacks common sense at times, always knows how to make me feel better, and she has these amazing eyes that mesmerize me every time I look at them. She's one of the few girls that's ever taken the time to even notice me, and she's made a huge impact on my life since I met her. She's loving and caring to all, which is why I don't know if she likes me or not. She really makes me happy, and I'd do anything for her." said Ash.

"Wow. This girl must be really special to you." said May, blushing intensely. It sounded a lot like herself.

"Very special."

"Want some hints on who I like?"

"Okay..."

"He's really cool, really smart, and really nerdy. He may not be a badass all the time, but he has his moments. He's everything I need and more, and I show it to him everyday as much as I can without telling him my feelings. He gets straight A's in all of his classes, and enjoys playing video games just as much as I do. He has a certain piece of clothing that I can always identify him by, and I can spot his messy head of hair from a mile away. I love him with all my heart, and I'm 50% sure he feels the same way."

Ash gulped. It sounded a lot like himself. "I wonder who that lucky guy could be..."

"Yeah..." said May, stepping a little closer to Ash.

"I um, I think I want to tell you who I like now." said Ash, smiling softly. His warm brown eyes locked with her deep sapphire ones, causing the two to enter a world of their own.

"Who?" asked May, staring Ash directly in the eyes.

_"This is it. I'm gonna do it. Right here, right now. One small step for most guys, but one great leap for Ash Ketchum... Here goes..." _thought Ash, taking a deep breath.

_"OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES! THIS. IS. IT!" _thought May.

"I am in love with..."

* * *

"RAAWWWRR!" roared a man in a werewolf costume as he jumped into view.

"EEEEEEEK!" shrieked Serena as she jumped into Red's arms, shivering in fear.

Red smiled at the werewolf man, who looked a little guilty for what he had done. Red waved the werewolf guy off, assuring him that he was only doing his job and he shouldn't feel bad. The werewolf man got the message and walked off, looking for his next victims.

"R-Red, It's been 15 minutes... and I'm already sick of this!" wailed Serena into Red's chest.

Serena was nowhere near as comfortable with scary things as May was. She was quite the opposite actually. Serena was afraid of many things. Forests, horror movies, ghost stories, you name it, she was probably afraid of it to some extent. As a testament of her fearfulness, Serena had been afraid of the dark til she was 12 years old.

The only things keeping her sane at the moment was Red, and the chocolate bars he gave her. Red placed a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena smiled softly, enjoying Red's kindness.

"Red, can we hold hands?" asked Serena randomly.

Surprised by her random request, Red raised an eyebrow.

"It's just that I'm really _really_ scared, and I need something to hold on to." explained Serena. "Please?"

Red smiled and grabbed Serena's hand. To anyone else, it seemed like no big deal. But to Red, holding her hand meant the world. His unconditional love for her had not faded in the past two months. Instead he had learned to control it. But holding her hand was another thing completely.

Serena sighed in both relief and joy. While it was true that she wanted to hold Red's hand for comfort, she also had ulterior motives. Her crush on Red had taken over, and she wanted to hold his hand, simply because it made their situation much more romantic. As they walked, hand in hand, Serena stole a few glances at Red. He was handsome.

_"Those hazel eyes... his cream skin... his neat black hair... that smile... my lord, why didn't I see it all before? He's gorgeous! And his personality just makes me want to... well, KISS him! But... does he even like me anymore? I hope he does. Maybe I should ask him... No! That would be too straightforward!... Or will it? Screw it, I'm asking!"_

"Hey Red? I'm just a little curious..." started Serena, squeezing her grip on Red's hand a little. "do you still, um... do you still... errrr... _love_ me?"

Red, not at all bothered by her unexpected question, nodded nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. Serena was speechless. It was as if Red had no secrets in the world.

"B-but how?" she asked.

Red shrugged his shoulders.

"You know... I really admire you Red." said Serena truthfully.

Red stopped walking and looked at Serena, a small trace of shock on his face. He pointed at himself to clarify.

"Yes, you." giggled Serena.

Red stared at her, his eyes wide.

"You want to know why?"

Red nodded.

"You've saved my life. Me, the girl who crushed your heart just a day earlier. Then I hurt you again, and you still forgave me when I came crying like the pathetic girl I was. And now, after two months of being my best friend, you still love me, when as far as you know, you're still in the friendzone. I just can't comprehend it. You're really one of a kind."

Serena hugged Red. Red hugged her back, completely flattered by Serena's praise. But then, a certain part of what Serena had just said repeated in Red's head: As far as _he knew, _he was still in the friendzone. Which meant there was something he didn't know, something that would make him think otherwise. Red sighed in happiness. Serena had just indirectly told him she had feelings for him.

During the hug, Serena had realized the same thing_. _She looked up towards Red, who had a cocky smirk on his face. Serena sighed in defeat. Her secret was out.

_"I guess he knows now..." _she thought with a shy smile. _"But it'll be fun to play dumb a little."_

"Red, why are you smiling like that?" asked Serena, pretending to be confused.

Red did not answer. He seemed to be looking at something else entirely now. His smile was gone. The mood around them both had sharply changed from romantic to ominous.

"Red? What's wrong?"

Red's eyes widened, his mouth opening a bit. He looked afraid.

"Red! What on earth are you looking at?" asked Serena.

She turned to the direction Red was looking in. As soon as she turned around, it was very clear why Red was scared. Standing very nearby was a large Machoke. And it was staring right at them, growling and snarling. Serena froze in fear, just like Red had. After one final snarl, the Machoke charged straight towards them. Red quickly grabbed Serena by the hand and ran. Serena screamed.

* * *

Serena's scream echoed throughout the maze, reaching May and Ash's ears. Just Ash's luck, it was in the middle of his confession.

"I am in love with..." Ash paused as he heard Serena's scream. "Serena?"

"That sounded like Serena!" said May with a worried tone. She then paused, thinking about what Ash had just said. "Hold up; YOU LOVE SERENA?!"

"No no no of course not!" answered Ash as he waved his arms frantically. "When I heard her scream I said her name! Honest!"

"Oh, okay..." said May in a relieved tone.

"Hey... why do you seem so relieved?" asked Ash with a grin.

"Ummm, ahhhmmm... We don't have time to talk! We have to go see what happened to Serena! Come on!" said May, grabbing Ash.

"Okay okay!" replied Ash as he was dragged through the maze by May.

* * *

"Red! What are we going to do?!" yelled Serena as the Machoke chased them.

Red did not respond, as he was busy trying to save both his and Serena's lives. They turned around a corner, only for a man dressed in a vampire suit to jump out in an attempt to scare them.

"Bwahahahar imma suck yo' blood!" bellowed 'Dracula.'

Red and Serena ran right past Dracula, confusing the man.

"The hell they runnin' from?" said Dracula. The Machoke then appeared. "Oh shit!"

But instead of attacking the man, the Machoke paused for a second, looked at the man, rolled its eyes, then continued chasing Red and Serena.

Meanwhile, Red and Serena were still running. Red, knowing they couldn't run forever, thought of a plan. He stopped running and wrapped his arms around Serena.

"What the hell Red! This is no time for hugs!" yelled Serena.

Red ignored her and jumped into the uncut cornstalks next to them, taking Serena with him. They landed on their sides, Red's arms still wrapped protectively around Serena. In any other scenario, Serena would be exploding in joy. She was laying with Red, his arms wrapped around her. But since they were being hunted by an insane pokemon, she paid no attention to her and Red's intimate position.

"Red, I'm sca-"

"Shhh." shushed Red, placing a finger on Serena's lips.

Serena's eyes widened. Red had just made a noise. Granted that noise did not require vocal cords, but it was still odd to hear Red make a sound. Shrugging it off, Serena focused her mind on her situation once more. It was clear why Red had put them in this position. To hide. And she knew that they had to stay quiet, or they were doomed.

Serena began to shiver, solely out of fear. She looked up to Red's eyes for comfort, and found his facial expression to be unreadable. He didn't look scared at all. Nor did he look embarrassed about how close they were or anything. He seemed to be thinking about something. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes had a distant stare in them. Red's mind was occupied with one question: Why did the Machoke want them so bad?

Since Red's mind was somewhere else, all Serena could do was pray the Machoke didn't find them. So there she lay, hyperventilating. Red soon left his deep thought and realized just how scared Serena was. He placed a comforting hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair slowly. Almost immediately, Serena's shivering ceased, and her breathing returned to normal.

It wasn't long before footsteps could be heard nearby. Each step sent chills down Serena's spine.

_"Please don't find us... pleeease don't find us..."_ thought Serena fearfully. She closed her eyes tightly.

Tears began to stream down her face. Red wiped the tears off her cheeks, which caused her to open her eyes. Her eyes opened to see Red giving her a soft smile. Her heart beat sped up significantly. At that moment, Serena realized that what she felt for Redwood Ketchum was more than a simple crush; It was love.

She buried her face in Red's chest, the footsteps getting very close. Then, she heard something part the cornstalks that hid her and Red. The pair closed their eyes.

_"This is it. We've been found..."_ thought Serena sadly.

"Why are you guys napping in the cornstalks?" laughed Ash with a goofy grin. "May, I found them."

"Oh good!" said May, running over. She then saw the position Red and Serena were in. "Ash, I think we interrupted something steamy."

Serena rolled her eyes, while Red quickly yanked Ash and May down, hiding them as well.

"Oww...What was that for?" mumbled Ash, rubbing his head.

"Shhh." whispered Serena. "Why are you guys here?"

"We came looking for you after we heard you scream." whispered Ash. "What happened?"

"There is a huge, angry, wild Machoke hunting down Red and I. We have no idea why. You found us hiding. We weren't doing anything else." replied Serena.

"Oh. Then we should probably stop talking so it doesn't find us." said May, a little to loudly. Red facepalmed.

"...Too late for that." said Ash, pointing upwards with a shaky hand.

Towering above them was the Machoke, staring right at them.

May and Serena screamed, while Ash and Red quickly stood up and grabbed May and Serena respectively. May and Serena quickly got to their feet and ran alongside Ash and Red. The chase resumed. The Machoke roared, not planning on losing it's prey again.

"Oh my god, we're gonna die!" said May.

"Don't say that!" screamed Serena.

"Then what are we gonna do?!" retorted May.

"If my memory serves me correctly, we started the maze from the southern end of the cornfields." said Ash in a level-headed tone.

"So?!" replied Serena, slightly annoyed with how calm Ash was in a life-or-death situation.

"You see that unusually bright star right there?" said Ash, pointing upwards. "That's Polaris."

"Ash! Now's not the time for an Astronomy lesson!" yelled Serena.

"Ugh, don't you get it?!" replied Ash.

"Get what?!" retorted Serena.

"I get it!" responded May. "Polaris is also known as the North Star! If we run _away_ from Polaris, we'll be heading South, which is where the exit of the maze is!"

"Exactly. Which means, we run _this _way." replied Ash, turning left.

"I hope you're right!" said Serena. "That Machoke is gaining on us!"

"I'm always right." replied Ash.

Red, Serena and May listened to Ash's plan, and within minutes, they were out of the maze. But unfortunately, they had not lost the Machoke. He was still chasing them, roaring and growling the whole way. As soon as they were out of the maze, Ash whistled a tune that was familiar to Red and May. Serena, on the other hand, had never heard the tune before.

"Why the heck are you whistling?!" asked Serena.

"I'm calling Pikachu." replied Ash.

"Ash, I don't think Pikachu will hear you from here!" cried May.

All of their legs were exhausted. And the Machoke showed no signs of fatigue. They needed a miracle, or they were doomed.

"Oh, he'll come." said Ash confidently. "My buddy's never too far away."

As if on cue, a powerful thunderbolt struck the Machoke's head, causing it to stop running and rub its head. The teens stopped running, all except Ash wondering what had happened. The Machoke was stumbling around, dizzy from the powerful attack. Red, Serena, and May looked at Ash, to find a familiar yellow mouse on Ash's shoulder.

"Good job, Pikachu. Right on time." said Ash, scratching the area behind Pikachu's ears.

"Chaaaa~~!" replied Pikachu.

Serena and May were too busy catching their breath to make any comments. Ash turned to May and smiled.

"Um May? I need my hat. I can't battle without it." he said.

"Huh?" asked May, confused. She then looked upwards and realized that she had been wearing Ash's hat all night. "Oh, whoops. Here, take it."

Ash caught the hat, and placed it on his head, backwards. Ash had officially entered Badass Mode.

Ash's eyes focused his eyes on the Machoke, who was regaining its senses. "Alright Pikachu, let's start this by rushing him with a Quick Attack, and then following it up with an Iron Tail."

"Pika!" chirped Pikachu as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder, assuming his battle stance.

The Machoke growled, and charged towards Pikachu. Pikachu put Ash's orders into action, and dashed towards the Machoke at a speed that would make Sonic the Hedgehog growl in jealousy. The Quick Attack hit the Machoke right in the stomach, knocking it over. As soon as the hit connected, Pikachu jumped into the air, and delivered a devastating Iron Tail to the Machoke's head, causing it to faint.

"That Pikachu... is on steroids..." gasped Serena, still breathing heavily.

"Nah, Ash is just a kick-ass trainer." said May with admiration.

Pikachu ran back to Ash and hopped onto his shoulder again. Ash pet Pikachu's ears, which caused Pikachu to sigh in content.

"Thanks, buddy. Really pulled us out of the fire there." praised Ash. He then turned to Red, Serena and May. Serena and May both looked tired, while Red looked rather energized. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." said Serena and May, while Red nodded his head happily.

"*Sigh* It seems the night's been ruined." said Ash gloomily.

"Well, I mean, if you omit the killer Machoke chasing us, it wasn't that bad, right Serena?" said May in an unsure tone.

"Ummm, yeah! And plus, this night will be a great story to tell people!" said Serena, trying her best to be optimistic.

"That's one way to look at it..." muttered Ash, clearly unconvinced.

"Oh Ash, *yawn* don't be such a sad-sack..." said May sleepily. Serena yawned as well.

"It looks like we're all pretty exhausted from all that running..." observed Ash. "Want Red and I to walk you home?"

"That would be nice..." muttered Serena drowsily, making her way towards Red. "Hey, I know this may seem a little... lazy of me, but you're big and strong right? Can you please carry me home?"

Red simply smiled and allowed Serena to hop onto his back. A piggyback ride.

"Thanks.." she muttered as she fell asleep, the events of the night taking a toll on her both physically and mentally.

Ash and May watched as Serena fell asleep on Red's back, her head leaning on his shoulder comfortably. May then placed a hand on her hip and looked at Ash expectantly.

"W-what?" asked Ash, backing up.

"You know what." said May with a smirk.

"N-never!" said Ash shakily.

"Pweeeeassssseeee?" asked May, looking Ash in the eyes.

"Okayyyyyy..." sighed Ash as he let May hop onto his back. He may have been able to defeat any pokemon trainer, but Ash could never defeat the force of nature that was May's eyes. To him, they were on a whole different level.

With everything settled, the teens began their 15 minute journey back to the Maple household. May had tried to stay awake for the whole trip, but her eyelids betrayed her. She fell asleep 3 minutes in, leaving Ash, Red, and Pikachu as the only conscious members of to group. Ash was struggling to carry May after a while, but he knew dropping her was not an option. She'd kill him, or worse; force him to eat ice-cream. In an effort to take his mind off of the strain his muscles were enduring, Ash glanced at Red, who had a large, goofy grin plastered to his face.

"What are you so happy about?" grunted Ash.

Red motioned his head towards Serena.

"What, are you happy because you got to lay with her?" asked Ash.

Red shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean you don't know? If that's not why you're happy, then what is?"

Red looked up to the sky and sighed happily.

"Man... you must really love her, huh?" said Ash with a smile.

Red nodded his head.

"Well... here we are. The Maple house." said Ash, clearly relieved. "Finally it's ove-"

Ash collapsed face first, his legs reaching their limit. The impact of Ash hitting the ground woke May, and the sound woke Serena.

"Ow." said Ash monotonously, his voice muffled by the ground.

"Huh? What's going on?" asked May rubbing her eyes. She then realized that Ash was face down on the ground, and she was on top of him, preventing him from getting up. "Oh, sorry Ash. Here, let me help you up."

May grabbed Ash's hand and helped him get up. As soon as he stood, his glasses split in half and fell to the ground. The fall had broken them. Ash simply stared at the pieces, not looking too upset.

"Your glasses just broke." said Serena, hopping off of Red's back. "But you don't seem that upset."

"I'm actually kinda happy they broke." said Ash. "If I beg enough, maybe my mom will let me buy contacts instead of new ones."

"You're welcome." said May.

"Wha?" asked Ash.

"If it wasn't for me weighing you down, you wouldn't have fallen, and your glasses would never have broken!" said May cheerfully.

"Hm, I guess that's true. Thanks, May." said Ash with a grin.

"No problem. Now give me a hug!"

Ash braced himself, expecting the usual tackle-hug he associated May with. But instead, May walked up to him and gave Ash a normal hug. The shock was clear on Ash's face, as he'd never received a normal hug from May. May sighed in content, and then whispered a few words into Ash's ear.

"Thanks for the awesome night, Ash. Happy Halloween." whispered May. She then planted a secret kiss on Ash's cheek, causing him to have the same reaction as he did when she kissed him earlier. May then waved goodbye to Red and skipped into her house.

Meanwhile, Serena also planned on giving Red a kiss on the cheek. But when she tried, Red saw a small pokemon out of the corner of his eye, and turned his head slightly to look at it. Serena's kiss missed his cheek and met his lips instead.

Both their eyes widened, as they immediately broke the kiss. There was a pause.

"Goodnight!" squealed a nervous Serena as she dashed inside her house.

Red, realizing the kiss was meant for his cheek, Red waved goodbye. With May and Serena safely home, it was time for Red and Ash to go home. But Ash was still in a trance from May's kiss on the cheek. With no remorse, Red kicked Ash in the leg to snap him out of it.

"Ow! You bastard!" roared Ash.

Red smirked, and then kicked Ash's other leg.

"Agh! You're just jealous because May kissed my cheek TWICE today! Hah! This day belongs to Ash Ketchum!" shouted Ash triumphantly.

Red snorted, rolled his eyes, and walked away, heading home.

"Hey! Wait up!" called Ash.

A few seconds later, a loud noise was heard, and Red turned around to see Ash face down on the ground. Because of his poor sight, he had walked into a street sign.

"Who put that sign there?" mumbled Ash in pain.

* * *

A hooded figure walked among to cornfields, making sure to keep his identity concealed. He was not in a good mood, as nothing had went as planned. Yet again, his plans were thwarted by his mortal enemy. He thought that this plan could not fail, but there he was, retrieving his pokemon that failed to accomplish the mission it was given.

"Fucking ridiculous..." he muttered as he saw his pokemon's unconscious body sprawled out on the ground.

The hooded figure, having no sympathy for the injured pokemon, walked over and shook it into consciousness with his foot. The Machoke's eyes slowly opened, revealing a scary sight. The angry eyes of his master.

"M-machok-"

"Save it." snapped the hooded figure. "You had one freaking job. ONE JOB! All you had to do was find both the Ketchums, knock them out, and bring them to me. That's all you had to do, and you blew it."

"Machoke..." mumbled the Machoke sadly.

"Oh whatever. I'm sure Breloom could've done a better job than the absolute shit you did. Just get in the ball." said the figure as he grabbed a pokeball from his pocket. "Machoke, return."

In a flash of red light, the Machoke returned into the ball. The figure sighed and took off his hood, revealing his head of unruly brown hair. He heard some footsteps behind him, and turned his head sideways to see a friend of his.

"Yo Kenny, enough with the mysterious shit. Let's get out of here." called Trip.

"Shut the fuck up, Trip." replied Kenny as he shoved his Machoke's pokeball back into his pocket.

* * *

**Whew! That was longer than I thought it would be! Geez, 8,705 words! The longest chapter I've ever written on any story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you understand why there was a timeskip. It would be weird and unrealistic for the characters to be as close as they are in this chapter if there wasn't a timeskip. Also, I plan on doing two more chapters based on holidays. The next chapter's gonna be another timeskip to Christmas. Then it'll skip to New Years. The skip from Christmas to New Years will be the final timeskip. Alright, see ya later everyone! Feel free to ask any questions! Constructive criticism accepted!  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	7. Surprises

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait, life happened. But now my schedule has cleared up a considerable amount, so I will be going back to updating every 14 days. This chapter might start off slow, but trust me, it gets better. I hope you like it.  
**

**Q&amp;A time!**

partytm

Please update this story is amazing. Why did you choose to write about pokemon?

**Answer: I like pokemon.**

Pokiwar

This is great, but I was wondering if you have an end planned, or if this is mainly improvised story, because I would hate to see this go anytime soon.

**Answer: I do have an ending planned. This story only has about 5 chapters left actually.**

**Okay, here's chapter 7!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Surprises

* * *

_Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring ring!  
_

An exhausted 16 year old teen groaned tiredly. His bloodshot eyes broke their gaze on the bright computer screen, instead looking at the cell phone that was ringing on his desk. He reluctantly removed his hands from the keyboard, and picked up the phone.

"Goooood Morning." he said monotonously.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it's Saturday morning and all, but I need your help on something really important. Can you meet me in the park?"

"Umm... Okay... just me or Red too?"

"No, just you."

"K. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

"Thanks, bye."

"Bye."

Ash hung up the phone and rose from his computer chair. He had pulled another all-nighter, something he did quite frequently as of late. He walked over to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, his mind in a relatively absent state. While brushing, he looked out the window, and saw small white dots slowly descending from the sky. Despite feeling like absolute garbage, he managed to smile a tooth paste-filled smile. He always loved snow. He spit out the rest of his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth. He then splashed some water on his face and dried it off, hoping that would wake him up a little. it didn't. His eyes darted towards the clock in the corner of the bathroom. 10:34am.

Ash walked downstairs and found his mom on the couch, sipping coffee and watching an episode of the popular show, "_When Housewives Attack!"_. Ash rolled his eyes and headed towards the coat rack near the front door.

"Good morning Mom, I'm going out for a walk, I'll be back in an hour. When Red wakes up, tell him not to eat my gingerbread cookies." said Ash as he put on his winter jacket, gloves, and boots.

"Be careful, make sure you don't slip on any ice!" called Delia, her eyes glued to the TV screen.

"I'll be fine." replied Ash as he walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

It was December. Two months had passed since Halloween. Christmas was in one week, and the holiday spirit filled the air. Winter Recess has started, meaning there was no school until January 2nd. Ash looked around, his contact lenses providing clear vision for him. He saw children frolicking in the snow, building snowmen, and smashing eachother's faces into the snow-covered ground violently. Beautiful sights, all of them.

_"Maybe I should have a snowball fight with May later... It's about time we had a rematch..." _thought Ash groggily.

Since Halloween, Ash and May had began to hold hands in public, leading many bystanders to believe they were a couple. When asked, they would both deny it, though they both liked the fact that people thought they were. Red and Serena were no different. Both pairs had gotten as close as could be. Sharing food, hugs, hand holding, everything. Everything except the words "I love you". But in one week, Ash planned on changing that. He was planning on asking her out on New Year's Eve, at 11:59 pm. It was going to be perfect. Ash began to smile at the thought, but his smile was quickly overpowered by a yawn.

_"Ugh... I don't know how much longer I can skip sleep like this... But I have to finish May's gift. Christmas in a week, and it's almost finished. Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep tonight..."_

Before Ash knew it, he was at the park entrance. The park was relatively empty, except for a few people enjoying the snow. He looked around, trying to locate Serena. His eyes soon saw a girl in a bright pink jacket sitting on a bench. He concluded it was Serena, as pink was her favorite color. He made his way over to the girl and when he got closer, he learned that he was right. It was Serena. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she seemed to me thinking really hard about something.

"Um, hi." said Ash, sitting down next to her.

"Oh, hey." she said, her facial expression relaxing.

"So umm... what do you need help with?"

Ash, I know that you and I are probably the least close out of you, Red, May and I, but you're the only person I can really talk to about this. I tried talking to May about it, but as usual, she didn't take it very seriously."

"Whatever this is, why can't you talk to Red about it?" asked Ash, sounding more annoyed than he actually was.

Serena shook her head. "I can't talk to Red about it either."

"Alright..." said Ash, wondering what could be so bad that talking to Red wasn't an option. "What's going on?"

Serena took a deep breath, being as dramatic as humanly possible.

"I don't know what to get Red for Christmas." she said quickly.

"T_T...Are you serious? That's the big problem?" droned Ash.

"Yeah! I've been trying to find a gift that would mean a lot to him, but NOTHING seems right. I need your help, Ash! You're smart, help me out here!" said Serena desperately.

"Well Serena, you should get him something that shows how much you care. Something that he'd use everyday." said Ash.

"Like what?" asked Serena exasperatedly.

"That's up to you to decide." said Ash, his brown eyes shifting to the snow falling from the sky. "If I told you what to buy him, it wouldn't be as special, would it?"

"*Sigh* You're right. I have to figure this out myself... thanks anyway Ash." said Serena, standing up. "I'll see you at the party. Bye."

"What party?" asked Ash.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. My family is throwing a Christmas Party. You and Red are invited." said Serena with a smile.

"When and where?" asked Ash excitedly, showing the most energy he had shown all morning.

"Our house, 5:30pm, Christmas."

"Awesome! Red and I will definitely be there!" said Ash as he felt a vibration in his pocket. He opened took out his cell phone and saw that he had just received a text from Red.

_**"LMFAO I totally ate all of your gingerbread cookies. Did you really think Mom was enough to keep me away from them? I win.  
**_

_**-Red"**_

Ash stared at his phone, his blood boiling.

"Serena, I gotta go. Tell May and Max I said hi." he said through gritted teeth.

"Seeya..." started Serena, but before she could finish her phrase, Ash dashed away angrily. "...later."

Serena watched Ash leave. She also watched him trip on some ice and land on his face. She couldn't help but laugh hysterically, earning an angry glare from Ash. Serena continued to laugh, as Ash's clumsiness was something that seemed to just cracked her up every time.

Ash regained his footing and continued his sprint towards his house, planning on making Red's life a living hell for the rest of the day.

* * *

Kenny watched from his window as Ash ran by, a dark grin on his face. The past two months had been full of more failed attempts to destroy the bonds between Ash, May, Serena and Red. It became less of a mission, and more of an obsession. Each plot was more intricate and dangerous than the last, and each and every one of them were thwarted by the quick thinking and smarts of one person.

_"Ash. Fucking. Ketchum." _thought Kenny darkly. _"My next plan's gonna be a good one. Let's see what you'll do when I unleash it. You'll be sorry you ever-"_

"Kenny, what the in the honest fuck are you doing?" asked Trip as he walked up to the window. He looked around, and immediately spotted Ash. He rolled his eyes. "Cress, he's doing it again!"

"_Again?!_" replied Cress, entering the room. "Kenny, Trip and I spent the night here intending to hang out and have fun, not watch you glare at Ash whenever he walks by or tell us your nefarious plans."

"Shut up guys!" roared Kenny.

"Kenny, get it together!" shouted Trip back. "You've been after the Ketchums for 4 whole months now! I hate Ash too, but still... Don't you think this is getting a little extreme?"

"No, I don't!" yelled Kenny.

"Dude," chimed in Cress. "14 of your plans had the potential to hospitalize them. You're going way too far."

"Pfft, I don't need this!" snapped Kenny as he stomped out of his room.

Cress and Trip watched him leave, both deeply concerned for their friend.

"Something's wrong with him..." said Trip seriously.

"Do you think he's stopped taking his 'you-know-what's?" replied Cress, whispering the last part.

"Good lord..." whispered Trip, thinking of the horrible consequences that could occur if Cress was right. "I really, _really, _REALLY hope not."

* * *

_One week later..._

"Psst. Red." whispered Ash.

No response.

"Hey, Red. C'mon man, wake up." whispered Ash, poking Red's sleeping face.

Red's right eye slowly cracked open, and Ash took that as his cue.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" screamed Ash.

Red fell off of his bed, startled by Ash's loud outburst. He immediately stood up and smashed Ash's face in with a pillow. While Ash lay on the ground, clutching his face in pain, Red opened a drawer next to his bed, revealing a large assortment of handy dandy markers of various colors and kinds. Deciding to join in on the Christmas spirit, Red grabbed his handy dandy red marker and his handy dandy green marker, which he planned on having at all times throughout Christmas. He then wrote in green and red letters "FUCK YOU" on Ash's leg. With his work done, Red left the room, ready to open his presents.

"Wait up!" hollered Ash as he quickly scrambled to his feet, following Red down to the living room, where the Christmas tree was. When the boys got entered the living room, their mother was found on the couch, sipping coffee. As usual.

"Good morning Mom, Merry Christmas!" said Ash giddily.

"Oh hello boys. Merry Christmas." said Delia with a warm smile. "I guess you want to open your presents now?"

Ash and Red nodded their heads at maximum speed. Delia chuckled.

"Go ahead." she said.

Ash and Red practically teleported to their gifts, as they were by the tree in record time. Ash picked up one of his two gifts under the tree. He looked at the box and written on the top in beautiful cursive handwriting was, "To Ash, From Mommy!" Ash turned to his mother, smiled, and then ripped the wrapping paper off the gift like a savage.

"No way..." said Ash, staring at the unwrapped gift. "Halo 4?! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!"

Ash jumped around in circles, holding the video game overhead. Once his victory dance was completed, he lunged towards his mother and gave her a hug that rivaled the monster hugs he received from May.

During Ash's commotion, Red had unwrapped both his gifts already. He had received a brand new lacrosse stick from Ash, and a pair of expensive, high quality running shoes from his mother. Red simply gave both people a smile and a hug, in high contrast to Ash's loudness.

Ash picked up his second gift, which was from Red. Ash sloppily opened it to reveal a brand new, unsolved 6x6 Rubik's Cube.

"Oh come on Red, I've already solved the 3x3, 4x4 and 5x5 ones. What makes you think I can't solve this one?" said Ash as he hugged Red. "Thanks bro."

"Ahem, boys, I just received a text from Mr. and Mrs. Maple saying that Serena and May have gifts for you. They said you can come over at any time to get them." said Delia. "Why don't you go now?"

"But Mom, what about your gifts? Don't you want us to be here when you open them?" asked Ash.

"Nah, I can wait. The _"When Housewives Attack" _Christmas special is starting in 2 minutes, and you boys know I LOVE that show. That'll keep me busy till you return. And besides, don't you guys have gifts to give the twins and Max also?"

"Yeah," said Ash looking at Red with a grin. "as a matter of fact, we do. But first, we should probably clean ourselves up. I call showering first!"

Ash dashed up the stairs, leaving Red in the dust. Red shrugged his shoulders and sat next to their mother on the couch, eager to learn what this _"When Housewives Attack" _show was all about. He grabbed the TV remote and turned on the TV.

"Channel 8." said Delia.

Red clicked the "8" button, yawned, and relaxed.

* * *

Ash hopped out of the shower, feeling in the greatest mood. He strode to his room, a large smile on his face. He entered the room, but before closing the door, he called out to Red to tell him that the shower was no longer occupied.

Ash had put on his clothes and tidied himself up in record time. He looked at himself in the mirror, satisfied with what he saw. A handsome 16 year old dressed in a red and green short-sleeved sweater vest, black jeans, and a christmas hat.

"Wow... It's crazy how much my appearance has changed in 4 months..." thought Ash aloud.

While he looked at himself, felt a vibration in his pocket, and pulled his phone out. It was text message from Max Maple.

_**"Merry Christmas! So, are you excited to give May her gift? You've worked so damn hard on it, I know she's gonna love it.**_

_**-Max"**_

Ash chuckled and as his fingers tapped the screen of his phone in different places.

_**"Yeah, I'm excited. And I really hope she likes it. There were so many nights that I skipped sleeping to work on it.**_

_**-Ash."**_

Max responded almost immediately.

**_"Don't worry, she will. Now hurry up and get over here. May's practically hopping off the walls, and you're the only person in the known universe that can calm her down._**

**_-Max."_**

Ash rolled his eyes and placed his phone in his pocket. Finished observing himself in the mirror, Ash opened his closet. On the top shelf was a picture of him and May, both wearing sunglasses, with May kissing Ash on the cheek. Judging by the angle, May had taken the picture. Even though Ash was wearing sunglasses in the picture, it wasn't difficult to see that his eyes were wide, and he was blushing. His mouth formed the letter "O".

He smiled at the picture. It was easily one of the best days of his life. Ash, Red, Serena and May wanted to go out on a Saturday afternoon, and were split between where to go. Ash and May wanted to go to a carnival, while Serena and Red wanted to see a movie. They ended up splitting up, both pairs going where they wanted to. Ash and May had a great day at the amusement park, and that picture was taken while they were in a House of Mirrors.

Though it was never called one, Ash and May both secretly considered it a date in their minds.

_"Oh May... I hope you like this." _thought Ash as he grabbed May's gift, which was right next to their picture. He placed it in his pocket and stared at the picture of them both one more time before he closed his closet.

As soon as Ash closed the closet, Red entered the room, bobbing his head to the loud rock music that was playing from his headphones, which were in his ears. Because he was so absorbed into his music, he didn't seem to notice that Ash was in the room. He was in nothing but a towel, so it was clear he had just taken a shower. Ash quickly grabbed Serena and Max's gifts and left the room before Red could take his towel off.

* * *

"Okay Red, I'm 99.999% sure that when we arrive at May and Serena's house, we're going to be ambushed." said Ash mysteriously. They were both on their way to the Maple household, pep in both their steps. The girls' home was in sight, and Ash knew that Red had to be warned.

Red raised and eyebrow.

"Ambushed meaning that May, and possibly Serena, are going to be hiding somewhere, ready to throw snowballs at us. As for where they'll be hiding, who knows? Behind a bush? In a tree? Underground? All of these are very real possibilities. Stay on your guard. We don't want one of her snowballs to accidentally hit the gifts. Actually, give me your gifts. I'll put them in my backpack."

Red nodded in understanding. Ash was right; A happy May was a dangerous May. And Serena's maturity wasn't above snowballs fights either. Without hesitation, he placed the gifts in Ash's bag.

"Hmph, and you thought that bringing a bag was a dumb idea..." said Ash with a smirk.

As Ash and Red were a few steps from their destination, and they suddenly became very cautious. They walked closer together, both of them looking around in different directions. The house was eerily quiet, as if they were being watched. They had officially entered May and Serena's front yard. Both them were alert, Ash's arms wrapped around their gifts protectively. It was a life or death situation. Both their eyes were peeled, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"So far so good..." whispered Ash to Red. "We're halfway to their front door. Back to back."

Red quickly nodded his head and faced the direction opposite from Ash, their backs touching. They were in the danger zone. They then resumed the walking. They were only 10 feet away from the Maples' front door. It seemed like everything was going to be okay...

But of course, their luck didn't last. Ash's shoe lace was untied and he tripped on it, causing him to fall. Red, eyes wide, quickly turned around, in an attempt to catch Ash. But he could not, for he was assaulted with a merciless wave of snowballs. The impact was so powerful that he fell to the ground, defeated.

"Red, noooooooo!" cried Ash dramatically. Ash had regained his footing, stopping him from falling. But the damage was done. His small trip had given their assailants the opening needed to launch their attack. Ash ran over, dodging enemy fire, and knelt beside his fallen brother.

"Red! Red! Hang in there! I'll get a medic! You're gonna be okay!"

Red, who was half buried in snow, slowly turned his head to Ash, his eyes half open. He seemed to be acting as if he was shot with bullets rather than snowballs. He shakily rose one hand, and mouthed one word before pretending to die.

_"Go."_

Ash nodded slowly, saddened over his brother's "death."

"I WILL AVENGE YOU MY BROTHER!" roared Ash as he charged towards the Maples' front door, holding the bag of gifts tightly.

As Ash ran, wave after wave of soft, white balls of terror came flying his way. At first, he dodged them all, but soon, it became to much. He was taking too much damage, and he had to get to the door soon.

"Gah!" yelped Ash as a snowball hit him right in the leg.

He fell to his knees, unable to move any longer. The enemies ceased fire, seeing that Ash could not go on. Through Ash's half-closed eyes, he saw two silhouettes on the roof.

_"The roof... I should have guessed." _thought Ash as he dramatically collapsed, failing his fallen brother.

The silhouettes climbed down from the roof, victory in the palms of their hands. Once on the ground, they walked up to a defeated Ash Ketchum, towering over him. Ash looked up at the faces of the villains. They both had beautiful pairs of blue eyes, one pair cyan, the other sapphire.

"Haw haw haw! Look what we have here!" laughed one of them haughtily. She was the one with the sapphire eyes. Her shoulder length brown hair swayed a bit in the winter breeze. "It seems we have some trespassers brave enough to enter our domain; On Christmas Day!"

"Oh my!" sang the other assassin evilly. Her cyan eyes perfectly complimented her long, honey-blonde hair. "It seems they have some cargo with them too!"

"You fiends shall never lay your hands on our treasures!" growled Ash. "These gifts are for the beautiful May Maple and the... umm... ahh... _polite _Serena Maple! After heartlessly slaying my dear brother, you don't deserve such prizes!"

...Both girls broke character immediately.

"Awwww you think I'm BEAUTIFUL?!" squealed May.

"Really, Ash? All you could think of was 'Polite'?" asked Serena.

"Umm, to answer both your questions: Yeah." said Ash standing up.

May hugged Ash, while Serena folded her arms. But Serena's anger did not last long, as a shivering Red walked up to her a few seconds later. She jumped into his arms, happier than usual to see him.

When the hugs were over, Ash noticed that both Serena and May kept on glancing at his backpack. He smirked.

"So... judging by your not-so-subtle glances at my bag, I'm guessing you want your gifts?"

"Yes." said both May and Serena.

"Sure thing." said Ash as a cold breeze blew around them. "But maybe we should go inside first."

"Yeah, that's a good ide-"

"WOOHOOO GIFTSSS!" hollered May as she pulled Ash inside their house.

Red and Serena stood outside, watching as Ash was dragged inside. They both looked at eachother, shrugged, and followed their siblings inside.

When Ash and Red entered the Maple house, they immediately noticed something different. The scent. Usually, May, Serena, Max, and there house smelled like Maple syrup. Ash and Red had come to the conclusion that it was on purpose, because of their last name. But instead of the usual sweet smell, there was a different one. The smell of gingerbread. The Ketchum twins looked at each other, both enjoying the scent of their favorite type of cookie.

"It smells amazing in here..." moaned Ash. "Gingerbreaaadd..."

Serena and May glanced at Red, and saw that he too was in a state of gingerbread-induced euphoria.

"Would you guys like some?" asked Serena.

"Yes that would be nice... we kinda skipped breakfas-"

"Gifts. We eat after the gifts." growled May, intense fire burning in her eyes.

Ash and Red both nodded, in fear. Serena sighed. Her sister could be very difficult at times.

All four teens sat in the living room, all sharing a large couch. Max entered the room a few second later, and after greeting everyone, he sat on the floor next to the couch, since the couch was fully occupied. Mr. and Mrs. Maple had left the kitchen to greet the Ketchums and returned to the kitchen afterwards. During all of this, May was bouncing around excitedly in her seat.

"Alright, how should we start?" asked Ash.

"Let's see Ash's gifts first." said Serena.

"Nah, let's do Red's first." said Ash.

Red shrugged his shoulders and grabbed Ash's backpack. He pointed to Serena.

"Me?" asked Serena.

Red nodded and pulled a out a gift wrapped in pink wrapping paper. He handed it to Serena, a goofy grin on his face. Serena unwrapped the gift, and stared at it, her eyes wide. She then screamed a scream so loud, so piercing, that people down the street turned their heads. Everyone in the Maple household clutched their ears in pain, unprepared for it.

"Y-YOU GOT ME... A 300-PIECE BOX OF CHOCOLATES... I... I NEED TO.. JUST GIVE YOU A HUG...WOW... SUCH CHOCOLATE...VERY HAPPY..." said Serena as she hugged Red tightly.

Serena didn't stop hugging Red. Red, who was blushing, gave Ash a nervous grin.

"Don't worry bro, I got ya covered." said Ash as he handed May a gift. "This is for you, from Red."

"Oohh... I wonder what it is..." said May. She opened it to reveal a book of 1000 Scary Stories. An evil smile spread across her face. "Ooooh... Mwahahaha...This... I am going to have FUN reading this... Thanks Red!"

Red winked at May, as he was really unable to do anything else, since Serena was still hugging him.

"Alright, I guess it's my turn now." said Ash.

Ash pulled two small boxes out of his bag. He handed one to May, and placed one on Serena's lap. Serena removed herself from Red so she could open her gift. She unwrapped it, and blinked twice.

"Pink nail polish." she stated, looking at Ash.

"Yeah, you like pink, right?" asked Ash timidly.

"...Yeah. Thanks." said Serena monotonously.

Ash nervously chuckled, aware of how terrible his gift was. A girl like Serena probably had a lifetime supply of pink nail polish at her disposal. But in all honesty, Ash had spent so much time working on May's gift that he forgot about Serena's. He had bought it the night before, right as the store was closing. Serena placed her "gift" in her pocket, and directed her attention to her box of 300 chocolates.

Meanwhile, May was staring at her gift. It was a Gameboy cartridge. She turned it over, and saw that there was no sticker on the front to identify what game it was. Max and Ash were watching her with big smiles on their faces.

"So um, Ash, not to be rude or anything, but why have you given me a blank cartridge?" asked May innocently.

Ash's eyes widened in shock, while Max glared at Ash.

"You dummy! You forgot the sticker!" roared Max.

"Whoops... well, it shouldn't matter if there's a sticker or not anyway. You still have your Gameboy, right?" asked Ash.

"Of course!" chirped May, her Gameboy Advance magically appearing in her hand.

"You carry it around?... Whatever. Put the game in." said Ash.

May placed the cartridge into the Gameboy and turned it on. After the little jingle that played when Gameboys are turned on, the screen went black. Then, a catchy tune began to play, and a little skit of a Gengar and a Nidorino fighting each other was shown on the screen. After dodging a Slash attack by the Gengar, the Nidoran jumped in for an attack, and the screen faded to white. Then, a new catchy tune started, and a few things popped up on screen. The words "Pokemon: Blue Version" came up, along with a young man who looked eerily similar to Red holding a pokeball. There was a Squirtle next to said young man.

"No..." whispered May. "This can't be..."

"Yes. It is. May, you're the first person to ever play Pokemon Blue." said Ash.

Red and Max, smiled, both already aware of what Ash's gift was. Serena's eyes widened, shock evident on her face. But Serena's shock was nothing compared to May's. The brunette's hands were shaking, her mouth agape. Words couldn't come out of her mouth. Nothing made sense anymore. She started to wonder if this was real life, or just fantasy. Her mind was caught in a landslide, with no escape from reality. Eventually, her brain gave up, and she fainted. The Gameboy fell from her hands, and her head fell onto Ash's shoulder, her hair covering her eyes.

"Um, is that normal?" asked Ash, pointing to May's unconscious body.

"I have no idea. Check her pulse." said Max.

Ash placed two fingers around May's neck area, searching for a sign of life. Ash sighed in relief. She was still alive.

"Yeah she's okay." he said, clearly relieved.

"I can't believe you finished the last 15% of the game all by yourself in two weeks." stated Max in awe.

"I can't believe all you gave me was cheap pink nail polish..." muttered Serena under her breath. Only Red had heard her sassy remark. He chuckled silently.

"It wasn't easy, Max. It wasn't easy..." said Ash, recalling all the sleepless nights.

"So, where's _my_ gift?" asked Max.

"I have it." said Ash, pulling Max's gift out of his pocket. It was a gift card to a local diner. "Here, use this and take Bonnie out on a special date."

"Awesome!" shouted Max as he grabbed the card. He then ran upstairs to his room so he could text Bonnie the good news.

With Max gone, Ash, Red and Serena were the only conscious people in the room. Both Ash and Red's stomachs grumbled at the same time, both of them hungry.

"So, now that we're done with the gifts, let's eat some cooki-"

"Hold up! We're not done yet. May and I have gifts for you guys too. I'll be back in a sec." said Serena as she walked upstairs.

Ash and Red looked at each other, sparking one of their non-verbal conversations. Ash's eyes darted to the kitchen, and Red nodded his head. Red quickly sprinted to the kitchen, greeted May and Serena's parents, grabbed some gingerbread cookies, and returned to the living room.

"Good job Red, now give me some- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" whispered Ash as Red shoved all the cookies in his mouth, leaving none for Ash. "YOU DICK! I WANTED SOME!"

Red smiled as he ate the final cookie in slow motion. Ash was helpless. He couldn't yell above a whisper, because then he'd cause a scene. He couldn't move either, May was passed out on his shoulder, and Red was out of arms reach. So Ash watched furiously as Red devoured the cookie. Red Ketchum had won again.

"I'm back!" chirped Serena, 3 wrapped presents in her arms. "This one's yours Red. And these two are yours Ash."

Red grabbed the box and looked at it. Written on it in neat handwriting was, "To Red, From May and Serena!". Red smiled, and unwrapped it in a civilized manor.

"I really think you'll like it Red." said Serena, her hands clasped together. "I spent alot of time thinking, and after a certain someone's help, I finally came up with an idea. But it was too expensive for just me to pay for, so May chipped in also. That's why you have 1 gift instead of 2."

Red nodded in understanding as he removed the remaining wrapping paper.

It was a tablet. With it's main feature being an app where the tablet says what the user types. Red's eyes widened. He looked at Ash, who was just as shocked. His gaze then shifted to Serena, who had a sweet smile on her face.

"I thought you'd want something to replace the black marker, which you seem to have at all times. I know it's not the same thing as actually having a voice, but-"

To say that what happened next surprised Serena was an understatement. Because in all her time thinking about giving Red the gift, she never would have expected him to pull her into an intense kiss on the lips. The kiss was filled to the brim with love and passion, blowing Serena's mind even further. Even though she didn't expect it, she knew how to respond. She kissed Red back, with an equal amount of love and effort. Her legs began to feel like jell-o, and she lost her balance, leaning into him. They fell on the couch, still kissing.

Ash watched uncomfortably, his right-eye twitching.

_"What-*sigh*...what the hell just happened?" _thought Ash as he watched the kiss get more intense. As much as he wanted to leave the room, May was still out cold on his shoulder, preventing him from moving.

While Ash was struggling not to vomit, Red was feeling on top of the world. He himself didn't know why he did it; I just kinda happened. But one thing was for sure: She was kissing him back, fiercely too. Almost 5 months of growing attraction and emotional attachment had reached a breaking point, and lucky for him, she felt the same way.

But soon, they were both running out of air. So their lips separated, and they stared at each other, both their cheeks crimson.

"Oh yes guys, just spontaneously make-out in front of me while I have an unconscious girl attached to me. I just love watching you suck eachother's faces off! Makes my freaking day!" said Ash sarcastically. Serena gave Ash an apologetic look, while Red simply smirked at him triumphantly.

"Umm.. sorry." said Serena. "Why don't you open your gifts to help... forget what you just saw."

"Too late for that. I'm scarred for life." said Ash as he picked up one of his gifts. It was small, and it was labeled "For Ash, from Serena." He quickly opened it, and frowned. "A deck of cards?"

"Hey, pink nail polish ain't too great of a gift either." snapped Serena.

"Serena Maple, will you be my girlfriend?" interrupted a robotic voice.

Both Ash and Serena turned to see Red holding his tablet, a goofy grin on his face. Both Ash and Serena were both silent, so Red pressed a few more buttons on the touch screen.

"Please?" spoke the tablet.

"Yes. Yes I will." said Serena as she pulled Red into another kiss.

"Oh lord..." groaned Ash.

While Red and Serena kissed, May's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"What in the world..." she mumbled groggily as she lifted her head off Ash's shoulder. "I'm unconscious for 20 minutes and when I wake up, these two are making out..."

"Yeah, it's disgusting I know." replied Ash.

"ASH!" screamed May as she pulled Ash into what he thought was the tightest hug of all time. "I LOVE YOUR GIFT SO MUCH YOU'RE SO AWESOME OH MY GOSH THIS IS AMAZING YES YES WOOOOOOO THANK YOUUUUU!"

"M-may... I.. I can't. I can't breathe...!" wheezed Ash in a raspy voice. May quickly released Ash from the hug.

"Sorry about that. But seriously, I don't think I've ever gotten a better gift. Thanks." said May as she pulled Ash into another hug, this one considerably softer.

"You're welcome." said Ash, breathing heavily from his near death experience. "So, what did you get for me?"

"Open your gift and find out, silly." said May, stealing Ash's hat as she spoke.

Ash, paying no mind to May's theft of his hat, opened his gift. It was a collage. It was composed of 5 pictures, each of them showing Ash and May together.

The first one was when Ash still had glasses and braces. The two of them were sitting at their lunch table, May smiling widely, while Ash was barely looking at the camera.

The second one was a picture of the two of them at Clemont's birthday party a couple months ealier, Ash still in braces and glasses. May was dancing, while Ash was shyly smiling.

The third picture was of May hugging Ash playfully in the backseat of a car. They both seemed happy, and a little blush was on Ash's cheeks. By then, Ash had already gotten his braces removed.

The fourth was of a laughing May shoving ice-cream in Ash's mouth. His most likely ice-cream insane eyes were hidden by the glare of Ash's glasses.

And the final picture was one Ash knew very well. The same one he had in his room. Him and May in sunglasses, with May kissing his cheek. Ash smiled, as he realized that the collage was meant to show the progression of their relationship. But then he noticed that there was still space for one more picture, right next to the fifth one.

"Wow... this is beautiful, May." said Ash, stunned.

"Thanks Ashy." said May sweetly. **(A/N Yes, I'm aware that 'Ashy' is the most over-used nickname for Ash in romance stories, but I couldn't think of anything else. Sorry.)**

"Ashy?" asked Ash unhappily.

"Yes." she said with a smile.

"...Anyway, I really love this present, but I really gotta ask: Why is there an empty space next to the last picture?" asked Ash.

"I want you to decide what that last picture should be. As for when to decide, that's up to you. It could be tomorrow, a year from now, or 10 years. When you think the perfect picture for that spot has been taken, place it there."

"O-okay, I will." said Ash nervously.

May smiled and looked at Ash, her cheeks red. Ash smiled too, his cheeks redder. Serena and Red, who had long since stopped kissing and watched the whole thing, smiled.

"When do you think they'll get together?" whispered Serena into Red's ear.

Red smiled and pulled out his handy dandy black marke- no wait, he pulled out his new tablet. He pulled out his new tablet and typed in a few words. Before he pressed 'Enter' he lowered the volume, so only Serena could hear.

"It's only a matter of time." said the tablet.

"I hope so..." said Serena.

* * *

After all was said and done, the Ketchum brothers returned to their home. When they returned home, their mother was waiting for them, her TV show over. The three spent the next few hours together, taking part in Christmas time merriment and splendor. Songs were sung, food was eaten and hugs were given. Ash and Red also spent a considerable amount of time watching Christmas movies from their childhood. It was a good time.

Before they knew it, it was 5:15, which meant that Serena and May's party was starting soon.

"Hurry up Red! I don't want to be late!" hollered Ash.

"Shut up." spoke Red's tablet monotonously. A smirking Red slowly walked down the stairs, tablet in hand. Ash was not amused.

"Stop fooling around! We're going to be late if-"

"Shut up."

"Red-"

"Shut up."

"T_T...I'm leaving." said Ash as he walked out of the door. "Bye Mom!"

Red followed Ash out the door, a childish grin on his face.

* * *

"Kenny... what are you planning?" asked Trip, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Calm down Trip." said Kenny as he stared out the window.

"Dude, just tell me what your plan is." insisted Trip.

"Will you just calm the fuck down?!" roared Kenny in a coarse voice. He squeezed the phone in anger, his eyes twitching with annoyance. "This is the least lethal plan I've had in a while! And if those dumb-fuck Ketchums had any brains at all, they'd call up the cops or something, considering my plans almost kill them every weekend. Now I don't want to hear any more bullshit from you! I'm starting to wonder if you're even my friend anymore, since all you do is disagree with me!"

There was silence on the line. Kenny was about to hang up when Trip spoke.

"Ken... have you...stopped?" asked Trip seriously.

"Stopped what?!" growled Kenny.

"You know what I'm talking about." said Trip sternly.

"So what if I have? What are you going to do about it?!"

"Kenny-"

"Fuck you! Go fuck yourself! This joke of a friendship is over, shitface! Merry Fucking Christmas!" yelled Kenny as he hung up the phone.

With the conversation over, Kenny quickly went to his Contacts section and deleted Trip's number. He saw Cress's number there also. He deleted that as well. He then shoved his phone into his pocket, grabbed his jacket, and stomped out of his room.

"Ready or not, here I come." he muttered darkly as he left his house, ready to put yet another diabolical plan into action.

* * *

Trip sighed. Kenny had hung up on him. Not wasting any time, Trip dialed a different number on his phone.

"Hello?" answered the person.

"Hey Cress, it's me." replied Trip, gripping the phone tightly.

"What's going on Trip?" asked Kenny.

"Get dressed, and come over to my house, ASAP." ordered Trip.

"Why?"

"Your speculation was right. Kenny's stopped taking them. He's a danger to everyone now. He's got another plan ready, and he's going to carry it out tonight. We have to stop him, or at least warn Ash and Red. We're the only ones that can. We're going to the Maple twins' party. That's where the Ketchums are. And that's where Kenny's heading."

"I'll be there in 30 minutes." replied Cress, sensing the urgency. "*sigh* I miss the good old Kenny."

"Me too." said Trip sadly. He hung up the phone. "Me too..."

* * *

_Knock! knock! knock!_

May seemed to be the only person that heard the knocking on the door, so she walked over to open it. It was Ash and Red.

"Ashyyy!" sang May as she pulled Ash into a relatively normal hug. "Hi Red! What took you guys so long?"

Ash looked at his watch. It was only 5:42.

"We're only 12 minutes late." he said.

"Yeah, but everyone's already here! Look!" said May, allowing Red and Ash to enter.

May was right. Everyone that was invited was already at the party. Dawn was seen scolding Gary in the corner, Paul was sitting on the couch sipping some soda, his eyes on Zoey, who was doing the same thing to Paul from across the room. Cilan, Tracey and Clemont were talking about computer stuff by the fireplace, while Max and Bonnie were cuddling by the tree. There were several other familiar faces around, all of them adding up to around 30 people. Christmas music was playing quite loudly in the background, there were Christmas lights shining everywhere.

Serena was had just finished her hot chocolate when she saw Red and Ash enter the house. She headed in their direction, a huge smile on her face.

"Hi Red! Hi Ash." said Serena, before pulling Red into a kiss.

"Hi Serena." said Ash as his brother made out with her right before his and May's eyes, yet again. "May, do you have any ginger ale?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm feeling nauseous." he responded, gesturing towards Red and Serena.

"Oh. Yeah, we have some. Follow meeee!" said May as she skipped into the kitchen.

Ash followed May to the kitchen, leaving Red and Serena alone. They were still kissing. They were perfectly enjoying themselves until...

"Hey Red! Quit sucking Serena's face off and play some Twister with us!" called Barry, a blonde-haired, hyperactive friend of Red.

Red ended the kiss, and hugged Serena goodbye. He then dashed over to Barry, ready to play his favorite game. Serena sighed in disappointment.

"I guess I can't have him to myself all the time..." she muttered to herself.

Just then, she heard someone knocking on the door. Serena froze. The person knocked again. Her eyes narrowed. It was _him._

"There's only one person who knocks like that..." said Serena as she reluctantly walked over to the door and opened it. "Kenny."

"Hey Serena. Long time no interaction whatsoever!" he said cheerfully, though more than a little bitterness was heard in the last part.

"Cut the crap Kenny." sighed Serena, gaining a sudden interest in her painted fingernails. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see my good old pals. You and May hardly ever speak to me anymore. I missed you guys, so I came."

"Once again, cut the crap Kenny. I'm not stupid, nor am I obsessed with you anymore. I know that majority of the sticky situations my friends and I have been landing into have been caused by you. We all know. So this stupid 'Er mah gerd Ah miss u guyz' act isn't going to work. What are you _really _here for?"

Kenny's eyes narrowed, and so did Serena's.

"In all honesty, I really am here to see you guys. I really do miss you both. Do you know what it's like to have two of your closest friends completely cut you off in favor of two guys they just met? It freaking sucks. I've been a mess these past few months, and I thought seeing you guys would give me some closure, since you basically ditched me. I'm sorry for the horrible plans I've created, and I'm sorry for trying to keep Ash and Red away from you and May. Please Serena, just let me inside." pleaded Kenny.

Serena's cold facial expression softened, her conscious taking into account the words he had just said. Even though he was a total jerk, they _had _ditched him. They _did _owe him at least permission to go to their party, right?

"...Fine. You can come in." said Serena, allowing Kenny to enter.

"Awesom-"

"But if you even _try_ anything bad," said Serena seriously, poking Kenny's chest with every syllable. "You _will _regret it."

"Alright alright, sheesh!" said Kenny as he walked in. As soon as Serena walked away, an evil grin spread across his face. "Too easy..."

* * *

One hour later, the party was into full swing. There were marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow. There were scary ghost stories (told by May) and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago. The party proved that it truly was the most wonderful time of the year. Hot coco seemed to be the most popular drink of the night, and before they knew it, it was finished. May was sent down in the basement to check for more. Red was playing his 18th round of Twister, and Serena was watching, making sure no girls in the room were fawning over Red too much. They could look, but they couldn't touch. Kenny was nowhere to be found.

Ash sat on the couch, his 9th cup of ginger ale in hand, thoroughly enjoying the Christmas music playing in the house. His head rocked side to side to the beat of the songs, his mouth mumbling the words to the songs automatically. There was absolutely nothing on his mind. He was enjoying himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approaching. He sipped the last of his ginger ale and turned his head, so he could see who was coming. It was the only one of Red's friends who Ash was also friends with.

"Gary Motherfucking Oak." stated Ash with a smirk.

"The one and only." replied Gary, sitting beside Ash. "Merry Christmas Ashy-boy. What's up?"

"Eh, not much. Sippin some ginger ale. Listenin' to music."

"Ginger ale?" snorted Gary. "That shit's for old people."

"I like it."

"Yeah whatever. So, word on the street is that Red and Serena are a item now!"

"Yes. It's part of the reason I'm drinking the ginger ale." said Ash. "They're gross."

"Well, gross or not, you do realize this puts you in quite a position right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Ashy-boy. You know... I have Dawn, my dream girl... Red and Serena are together... heck, even Paul is well on his way to getting Zoey... do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Ash closed his eyes, well aware of what Gary was getting at.

"I know what I'm doing." said Ash, his eyes still closed.

"I dunno man. Do you? What's your plan?" asked Gary.

"I'm asking her out on New Year's Eve."

"Naw man that's a dumb plan! Do it tonight!"

"Now why would I do that?" asked Ash incredulously.

"Silly Ash, let me give you a lesson..." said Gary.

_10 exquisite minutes of Gary Motherfucking Oak later..._

"Damn Gary, you're a genius. I've never thought of it in that way..."

"Damn right you haven't. Now where is she?" said Gary.

"I think she's in the basement, looking for more hot coco mix." said Ash.

"Then let's go." said Gary, standing up.

"_Let's?_ You're coming along?"

"I'll be hiding in the corner listening to the whole thing. In case you screw up, I'll help you out."

"If you say so. Let's go." said Ash standing up. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself. He felt ready, but for some strange reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen...

* * *

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Jeez, are you trying to break the door down or something?" said Max as he opened the door. Max didn't recognize the two guys at the door, but they looked older than him. "Who are you guys anyway?"

"Listen, there's not much time. Is Kenny here?" asked one guy. He had dirt-blonde hair.

"Yea I think I saw hi-"

"Then you have to let us in." said the other guy. He had blue hair.

"Why?"

"He's planning on doing something really stupid at this party, and we're here to stop him. Now let us in!" growled Trip.

"What's he gonna do?" asked Max.

"We don't know! But it's something bad, so step aside!" yelled Cress.

"I can't just let you guys in-"

"Let them in." ordered a familiar voice. Serena appeared behind Max. "I knew Kenny was up to something."

"Where's Ash, Red and May?" asked Trip, walking inside, Cress following.

"Red's playing Twister, May's in the basement, and Ash is..." Serena looked around and shrugged. "I dunno. He was on the couch earlier..."

"Where's Kenny?" asked Trip.

"I don't know. That's not a good sign." replied Serena.

"We should probably head to the basement, and make sure May's okay." said Trip.

"Hold on, we gotta take Red with us." said Serena.

They all looked at Red, who seemed to be having the time of his life playing his 24th round of Twister. Serena made eye contact with him, and by the look on her face, it was urgent. With a sad sigh, Red reluctantly left the game. He walked over and tilted his head at the sight of Trip and Cress standing behind her. Red recognized their faces, but didn't know them very well.

"Kenny's here." said Serena. "We have to find find May and Ash."

Red's face suddenly turned serious, understanding the whole situation from those two sentences. He nodded his head, and looked around, trying to find Ash.

"Yeah, if Ash isn't here, then it's more than likely he's with May." said Serena.

"Then let's get to the basement." said Trip.

"Hold on." interrupted Cress. "Someone has to look for Kenny too. We should split up."

"That's true. Someone should go look for him. I can't go, because he's going to just put up a stupid act." said Serena. "And Red's out of question. So... which one of you is going to do it?"

"I will." said Trip, stepping forward. "I'm the only one that can get to him."

"Alright, Serena, Red and I will head downstairs to check on May. Be careful dude. Kenny's dangerous in his current state..." said Cress.

"I'll be alright." said Trip, leaving the group.

"Okay, with that taken care of, let's head downstai-"

A scream was heard.

"Who the heck is screaming like that?" asked Cress.

Red and Serena's eyes widened. To Cress, it sounded like a normal scream, but they knew better. It was a peculiar scream, one that they recognized immediately. And it was coming straight from the basement. And to make matters worse, immediately after the scream, a male voice was heard calling for help from the basement. Red and Serena dashed towards the basement, Cress following close behind. As they got closer, they could hear what sounded like breaking objects.

"What the heck is going o- WAAAHHHHHH!" yelled Cress, because in all the commotion, Red and Serena tripped over eachother and fell down the stairs, taking the blue haired teen with them.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier..._

"How come _I _have to search for the hot coco mix? Serena's the chocolate addict... she probably has it all in her room somewhere!" grumbled May as she searched through the dark basement, a Dora the Explorer flashlight in hand. "*sigh*, at least I have this awesome flashlight to keep me company..."

The flashlight shut off, its batteries dead.

"Well. _That _happened." said May, tossing the flashlight. "Oh well."

She had decided to not to turn on the lights of the basement earlier, because she thought it would be fun to use a flashlight. It made her feel like Indiana Jones. She regretted that decision. But she couldn't fix it now. The light switch was all the way on the other side of the basement. Any other person would be afraid of being in a basement, in the darkness, but this was May. So she casually felt her way through the basement, trying to find the stairs back to the main floor. Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. May simply stopped walking and turned her head.

"Hey there, whoever you are. Do you mind telling me why you're touching my shoulder?"

"It's me." said a deep voice, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"Oh hey Ash. What's up?"

"Ummm... not much?" he asked nervously.

"You sound funny." said May with a chuckle.

"I-I'm um, l-losing my voice a b-bit."

"Oh. So, are you enjoying the party?"

"Of course. Best party I've been to in a while."

"So um, why are you here in the basement?"

"*sigh*... I have something I want to say."

"What do you want to say?" asked May.

"I... I love you. I love you so much May Maple. Everything about you... you're just... amazing. I can't imagine how or who I'd be if I didn't meet you in the hallway. From the first moment I saw you, I fell in love. These past few months have truly been ones to remember, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I-I just want to know if you feel the same."

May paused. Was this really happening?

"Ash I... of course I feel the same. I have since we met. At first it was a crush, but, it's really evolved into more lately... I love you Ashton 'Ashy' Ketchum." said May, barely able to contain her joy.

"So um, ah, will you go out with me?"

"Of course!" said May, hugging the boy of her dreams into a hug. "Have you ever kissed a girl?"

"Nope."

"Then allow me to be your first." said May as she leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss was short-lived. About 5 seconds after the kiss began, the lights around them turned on. May opened her eyes, and was horrified at what she saw. She wasn't kissing Ash. No no no, she was kissing someone else. Someone she never dreamed of kissing in a million years.

Kenny.

As if the situation wasn't bad enough, May saw who had turned on the lights. The real Ash. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open slightly. Their eyes made contact, but Ash's immediately looked towards the floor, still wide. She looked back at Kenny. He had a grin on his face.

"Thanks for the kiss, May." said Kenny in Ash's voice.

May's eyes widened. Kenny had mimicked Ash's voice, in a dark room. She kissed him. Ash turned on the lights. He saw it. May opened her mouth to speak, but words wouldn't come out. From around the corner, Gary appeared, equally as shocked as Ash was. May knew Ash was hurt. She could see it.

"Ash, I-" started May, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm going to, um, get some fresh air." said Ash shakily as he turned around.

"Ashy-boy, hold on, I'm sure there's a reaso-"

"_Let's go Gary_." said Ash in a tone so cold and hurt that Gary silently followed him.

"What's wrong _Ashy?_ Not what you expected to see?" asked Kenny in his normal voice. "May loves me, not a dork like you. Who would like a guy in Computer Club anyway?"

Ash froze, his fists clenched.

"Heh, did you really get your hopes up? Thinking she actually liked you?" added Kenny.

Ash's breathing picked up the pace. Gary could sense he was suppressing his anger.

"Ash... don't do anything you'll regret man..." warned Gary placing a hand on Ash's shoulder. "He's not worth it."

"She's too good for you anyway." snorted Kenny.

Ash's breathing stopped. Gary tightened his grip on Ash.

"You..." growled Ash. "BASTARD!"

Ash pushed Gary aside and ran towards Kenny, tackling him onto the ground. May watched helplessly as Ash punched Kenny in the nose, blood spurting out. She screamed. Kenny, ignoring his bloody nose, pushed Ash off of him and punched Ash twice in the face. Gary immediately ran to the fight and tried to pull Ash off.

"SOMEONE HELP!" yelled Gary.

Ash and Kenny continued to attack eachother, both of them accumulating a large number of scratches and bruises in the process. In all the chaos, May had passed out, and Ash and Kenny had broken countless objects.

"Guys! Stop!" shouted Gary, his efforts to pull Ash off of Kenny in vain.

"YOU! FUCKING! BASTARD!" roared Ash, punching Kenny's face with every word.

Kenny, kneed Ash in the stomach, causing him to double over. Kenny then kicked Ash in the face, causing him to fall to the ground on his back. Kenny mounted on top of Ash, punching him multiple times. Ash head butted Kenny, pausing the punching. Ash took the opportunity to throw Kenny off of him. Ash threw another punch at Kenny, but this time, Kenny caught it.

"You think a weak bitch like you can beat me in a fight?!" spat Kenny with a twisted, bloody grin. "Keep dreamin'!"

Kenny twisted Ash's hand, breaking his wrist. Much to Kenny's surprise, Ash ignored the pain and pushed Kenny into a wall, punching him in the face the whole time.

Just then, a tumbling was heard coming down the stairs. Ash and Kenny ignored it, but Gary looked. It was Red, Serena and some blue haired guy falling down the stairs. They landed with a thud.

"Oww..." muttered Serena rubbing her head. Her eyes opened. "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"Oh my god!" cried Cress, seeing the blood everywhere, an unconscious May, a knocked down Gary, and Kenny and Ash beating the hell out of each other.

While Serena and Cress were paralyzed by the horror of the situation, Red sprang into action. He ran over to Ash and yanked him off Kenny in one pull.

"GET OFF OF ME!" roared Ash.

"Come at me, pansy!" taunted Kenny with a crazed look in his eye. "She loves me, not you!"

"Quit it Kenny!" yelled Cress as he ran towards Kenny.

Kenny turned and punched Cress, knocking him down.

"Kenny, what the hell is wrong with you?!" screamed Serena.

"YOU BITCH! YOU AND YOUR SISTER LEFT ME FOR THESE DIPSHITS! Fuck you! Fuck you all!" yelled Kenny as he ran out of the basement.

Everyone watched Kenny leave, and as soon as he was gone, everyone looked around. Gary stood up and helped Cress up from the ground.

"What the hell happened?!" yelled Serena. "Why is my sister unconscious?!"

"I... I um.. uhh..." were Ash's last and only words before he passed out in Red's arms.

"I'll explain." said Gary. "Ash and I came downstairs, and we found May making out with Kenny. Kenny taunted Ash a bit, and Ash just... snapped. I've never seen him so angry before. He broke Kenny's nose on the first punch. May passed out from the sight of so much blood. I tried to pull the apart, but I'm just not as strong as you are, Red."

"May kissed Kenny?!" shrieked Serena.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. But she was. We both saw it." said Gary sadly.

"There's got to be an explanation." said Serena, staring at May.

Red sighed and pulled out his tablet. He typed in a few words and pressed enter.

"Serena, I'm going to take Ash home. I'll see you tomorrow." spoke the tablet.

"Okay Red... bye." said Serena gloomily.

Red waved good bye to Serena, nodded to Cress and Gary, and walked up the stairs. He closed his eyes. It amazed him how things went downhill so fast...

* * *

Ash's eyes cracked open. He was outdoors, being carried by someone. At the moment, he didn't even care who it was, because all he could think of was what had happened. His lips ached. His nose ached. His mouth tasted of dried blood.

_"I knew I was in over my head...Kenny was right. I'm a loser." _he thought as he slipped out of consciousness again.

Out of all the pain his body felt, the worst by far was in his heart. His broken heart.

* * *

**So while Red has finally gotten the girl of his dreams, Ash is facing difficulty. We shall see what happens in the next chapter! Shout out to aloof-kokiri for the idea of Red getting a tablet! And just to get you all more excited for the next chapter, I'll tell you this:**

**Ash and Kenny's fight was NOT the climax of this story. The climax is in the next chapter.**

** I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! Bye!  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	8. Worries Part 1

**I warn you all now. This chapter has a very sharp, dark change in mood near the end.** **And I guarantee you won't see it coming. So be prepared. It's also fairly creepy, so um, yeah. I myself don't know how I feel about it, and I'm the freaking author for crying out loud. **

**This chapter was a pain in the ass to write, as I struggled on deciding what to write at some parts. **

**And finally, this chapter is Part 1 of a 2 part special. So the next chapter of course, will pick up right from where this one left off.****  
**

**Q&amp;A.**

PolarDawn

OMFG. Just found this, and it is freaking amazing. I LOVE the humor in the earlier chapters, (I'm a bit of a sucker for that, I must admit) and I hope to see some more of it in the future. Boy, sucks to be Ash right now, huh? Hopefully that will get figured out pretty quick, and he and May will finally get together. Please, get the next chapter up soon!

...Oh, and what happened to Trip? He just creepin' around in the Maple's house?

**Answer: Trip had no idea about the fight until afterwards. He went home after. **

Tsuzihri07

So... First off, another great chapter. This is one of the funniest stories i've read, period. Question hereforth is: Why make Kenny so revenge-centric and, for lack of better word, psychotic? I mean, he has a reason to hate Ash and Red, and don't get me wrong, you write the communication (or lack there of) between them perfectly, It's me just asking why.

**Answer: Your answer lies in this chapter. Read on...**

**Alright. One last warning. The end of this chapter is something I'm still not sure if I like or not. It's dark. T_T  
**

**Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 8  
**

Worries: Part 1

* * *

Five days had passed since what was undoubtedly the worst Christmas of Ash's life. He had been a complete shut-out in the past five days, leaving his room only to use the bathroom. He did most of his eating at odd hours of the night, successfully avoiding having to speak to anyone. He had shut his phone off since the day after Christmas, avoiding any interaction with the outside world. The only living thing he interacted with was Red, and that was only because they shared a room. He was irritable, and not even Red was spared when he'd lose his temper. His left wrist was broken from the fight, and it pained him when he turned it a certain angle. Everything about him had taken a turn for the worse, and he didn't even care.

So there he was, in his room, in the dark, on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Sunglasses covered his eyes, and his hands were under his head. His raven hair had reached a whole new level of messiness. He was in a sleeveless black t-shirt dark green sweatpants. Those were the clothes he woke up in after Red had taken him home 4 nights ago. His eyebrows were furrowed, but his lips were straight, neither smiling nor frowning. His eyes darted to his alarm clock. 3:16pm. He groaned. He was bored. But he didn't know what to do with himself. He glanced at the 6x6 Rubik's Cube Red had bought him for Christmas. He had already solved it 2 days ago.

"Hmmmphh... Red..." mumbled Ash in a coarse voice. "Where is he?"

Ash turned his head to the left, to see Red's bed empty. He racked his brain to remember where Red had went. Red had told him, but Ash was barely listening at the time.

_"Oh yeah... he went to **her**_ _house_." thought Ash dully. He felt an uncomfortable pain in his chest when he thought of where Red was going. More specifically, a person who lived where Red was going._  
_

His stomach grumbled. He moaned. As much as he wanted to go downstairs and get some food, he didn't. Going downstairs meant that he would have to speak to his mother, which he didn't want to do. As stated before, he didn't want to speak to anyone.

"_Wait... I have some candy in my closet. I guess that'll hold me over for now..." _thought Ash as he dragged himself out of his bed.

He opened his closet for the first time in 5 days, and almost immediately regretted doing it. He looked for his candy, and found it on the top shelf. But that wasn't the only thing on the top shelf. There was also a picture there. The picture of him and _her. _Just a week ago, that picture would have brought a smile to his face. But when he saw it this time, it only brought sadness. But the sadness didn't last long. It quickly transformed into something worse. Anger.

His eyebrows furrowed even more and he frowned, turning his perpetual scowl into a fierce glare. He yanked the picture off the shelf, gripping it tightly. He looked at it one last time, and raised it up into the air, planning on throwing it at a wall.

_"Heh, did you really get your hopes up? Thinking she actually liked you?" _echoed Kenny's voice in Ash's head repeatedly.

He drew his arm back, ready to smash the once-valuable picture to pieces... but couldn't go through with it. All his anger left him immediately, only for the sadness to return. He ran his free hand through his messy hair as he roughly placed the picture back on the shelf, face-down. He grabbed the candy and slammed the closet shut, tore off his sunglasses and fell onto his bed, face-first. He was silent at first, but soon the silence was shattered by the sound of soft sobbing. He lifted his face from the bed and saw his pillow was stained with his own tears. He growled.

_"What's wrong with me? I've been rejected by a girl before. But why does this one hurt more than all the others combined? I... I just can't get over it. How could she kiss Kenny? If she liked Kenny all along... was she leading me on? No; she couldn't have... I was just being stupid. This is all my fault to begin with. She never liked me. We were only friends. She never felt anything for me to begin with. I was just mistaking her kindness for... for something else. Kenny's right. But why? Why would she like HIM?! Nothing... NOTHING MAKES SENSE!" _thought Ash as he cried angrily. "N-nothing makes s-sense anymore..."

_knock! knock! knock!_

Ash sighed and ignored the knocking.

_knock knock! knock knock!_

Ash growled and ignored the knocking again.

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Ohhhh my god, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" snapped Ash, sitting up in his bed.

"Open the damn door!" retorted a familiar voice from the other side of Ash's door.

"Serena?" asked Ash, shocked to hear her voice.

"Yes."

"What are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be, oh I dunno, making out with Red or something?" asked Ash bitterly.

"I'll have you know I'm here to help your mother bake some cookies." responded Serena.

Ash paused. His eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"For your family's New Year's Eve Party tomorrow night. Your mom was kind enough to invite my family to it also, and I wanted to help out with the cooking. Now open this door; I want to talk some sense into you before tomorrow, because whether you like it or not, you'll have to be in the same house as May."

Ash froze. _She_... was going to be _in his house_. He stared at the door, unable to believe his terrible luck.

"Ash, open the door." said Serena firmly.

"It was never locked in the first place." said Ash as he put his sunglasses on, hiding his teary eyes.

"Oh." said Serena. She then opened the door.

The first thing she saw was Ash sitting up in his bed, looking directly at her. Aviator sunglasses covered his eyes, and his hair was messy enough to make Yugi Muto jealous. A couple of fading bruises could be seen on his face, and some stubble could be seen on his chin.

"Geez, look at you! First of all, you're wearing sunglasses in the dark, and second, it looks like you haven't shaved in days! And speaking of hair, your head looks like you've walked through a freaking tornado!"

Ash simply snorted and laid down on his bed, his eyes on the ceiling.

"Who cares? I don't. Not like I have anyone to impress." said Ash.

Serena sighed. _"This is going to take some work..."_

"Alright, to start things off, the sunglasses need to go." said Serena as she walked over to Ash.

"No, don't-" Before Ash could defend himself, she snatched the glasses off his face, revealing teary, bloodshot eyes. He had been crying recently. Serena immediately became filled with sympathy.

"Oh... I didn't know that you... I'm sorry." said Serena as she returned the sunglasses to Ash's face.

"it's fine." responded Ash. "What's the point in hiding it? It's fairly obvious I'm a wreck."

"Ash, what do you think happened at the party?" asked Serena, sitting beside Ash.

"Well, people danced, sang Christmas songs, Red played Twister alot..." mumbled Ash, looking away from Serena.

"Oh don't be a smartass... you know what I'm talking about. What happened with Ma-"

"Please stop saying her name." droned Ash.

Serena's eyes widened at Ash's request. She blinked once and nodded her head, deciding not to question it.

"Alright... what do you think happened with my sister and Kenny?"

Ash did not respond.

"Hello?" said Serena, waving her fingers in front of Ash's sunglasses.

"I think that she and Kenny confessed to eachother and kissed. Simple as that. I was just unlucky enough to be there when it happened."

"So what, you don't love her anymore?" asked Serena.

"...I still do." said Ash slowly.

"Then why haven't you spoken to her?" asked Serena.

"Because..." Ash paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "because she hates me now, I just know it. I got into a fight with Kenny, the guy she actually has feelings for. Why would I speak to her? If I even approach her, I'm sure she'd just punch me, or tell me I'm a horrible person who can't control his emotions. I'd rather just stay here in this room, alone."

"Ash, you know Ma- _she _would never do that. I'm sure there's an explanation we just don't know. To be honest, I don't know what happened. She has locked herself in her room, just like you have, except her door is actually locked. She doesn't come out. I'm worried about her, and I know only you can get her out of there."

"What makes me so special?" retorted Ash.

"Ash... May-"

"Don't say her nam-"

"Shut up. May loves you. You and only you. She's never loved Kenny. In fact, she's hated him for as long as I can remember. You're the only boy she's ever fallen for, and you're the only boy who's ever loved her for who she is, instead of her body. I don't think it's physically possible for May to hate you. You're a genius, an amazing pokemon trainer, a smartass, a crappy artist, a nerd, a dork, an idiot, a-"

"I get it-"

'Let me finish." said Serena with a smile. "But most of all, you're the perfect boy for my sister, and she needs you more than you know."

"Wow." said Ash. "Um, so, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her tomorrow night. Ask her out. Do something. You have to."

"...Okay. Wait a minute. If you're here, then what is Red doing at your house?" asked Ash.

"He's helping my Dad do some heavy lifting around the house. Max wasn't strong enough to do it, so he had to call Red." answered Serena as she stood from Ash's bed and walked towards the door.

"Ah." said Ash, nodding his head. "Hey Serena."

"Yeah?" asked Serena, turning around. She was shocked to see Ash standing right behind her.

"Thanks for talking to me. I needed it." said Ash, pulling her into a hug.

"Oh, anytime... It's what a good friend does." said Serena, caught off guard from the hug. "Just make sure to get me a better gift next Christmas."

"I promise I will." replied Ash with a grin.

"Oh my, what do we have _here?" _sang a voice. Ash and Serena separated from eachother to see Delia in the doorway, a hand on her hip. "I wonder what would have happened if I came a few seconds later!"

"Nothing. Nothing at all." said both Ash and Serena, embarrassed. Both their cheeks were pink.

"Whatever you say..." said Delia. "Serena, I need your help with the triple chocolate cookie batter. Since you love chocolate, I thought you'd want to make them. Then we're gonna go grocery shopping."

"Of course I want to!" squealed Serena as she ran out the door, leaving just Ash and his mother in the room.

Delia smiled. Ash smiled back.

"So, are you finally happy again?" asked Delia.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Are you gonna help out with the groceries?" asked Delia.

"Yeah, just let me take a shower first." said Ash.

"Okay, take your time." said Delia as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Ash sighed a happy sigh. He went to his closet to get his towel, and when he opened it, he saw the picture he had put face-down earlier. He put it back up and grabbed his towel.

* * *

"Serena, you have no idea how thankful I am." said Delia as she entered the kitchen. "You've fixed my little Ash."

"Oh Mrs. Ketchum, there's no need to thank me!" said Serena with a smile. She was stirring the batter for the chocolate cookies. "Just being a good friend."

"Y'know... Ash is single." said Delia with a wink.

Serena almost choked. She could never date Ash.

"What? He's handsome!" said Delia.

"The relationship between Ash and I will _always _be platonic. I really can't imagine it as anything else. And um, I already have a boyfriend." said Serena.

"Oh my, who?!" asked Delia excitedly.

"Eheheh... Red." chuckled Serena nervously.

Delia's jaw dropped.

"Why didn't you tell me?! Since when?!" she screamed, a huge smile on her face.

"Christmas." said Serena with a smile.

"Congratulations! I have to give Red a huge hug when he gets home! Oh my, the gals at my book-club won't believe this! I think I'm gonna call them right now!" said Delia as she ran back upstairs to her room.

That left only Serena in the kitchen. She hummed a song to herself as she poured the chocolate cookie batter into stencils that spelt out the words "Happy New Year!". Suddenly, her phone began to ring, right when she was in the middle of pouring the batter into the A in "Year!"

"Ughh..." groaned Serena as she paused her work to pick up the phone. The number wasn't one of her contacts.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi." said a familiar voice.

"Who is this? You sound familiar." said Serena.

"It's me, Cress. You know, the blue-haired guy that hangs with Kenny. Or at least used to hang with Kenny..."

"Oh yeah, I remember you. What's up?"

"Um, Trip told me not to do this, but I decided that it's only fair for you guys to know. What I'm about to tell you cannot be spread to anyone except Red, May, or Ash. Got it?"

"Uh yeah, got it." said Serena, wondering what the big secret was.

"There's a reason for Kenny's dark behavior as of late. As of late meaning the past few months."

"Is it that he's an ass?"

"He's not an ass! He's just... okay he _is_ an ass, but there's another reason."

"And what would that be?"

"*sigh* Kenny's not fully... sane."

"E-excuse me?" asked Serena, not believing her ears.

"Kenny's not fully sane." repeated Cress.

"WHAT?"

"Um yeah, he's a little crazy."

"Holy crap what the hell oh my god how in the worl-"

"Calm down. He's been like this since he was born. He has something called Strife's Disorder."**(A/N I made up the disorder. Don't want to offend anybody by using a real disorder :P)**

"Never heard of it." said Serena flatly.

"It's rare. It's a mental illness that causes the victim to become obsessive over anything they have the slightest romantic interest in. The obsessions can last for years. It also makes him prone to violence. And the violence is usually directed towards any obstacles to their obsession."

"Prone to violence?!"

"Yeah. He's been on medication since he was young, but every once in a while... he stops taking it. Most of the time it's because he doesn't think there's anything wrong with him. But there is. It's obvious he's obsessed with May, and that his current target for violence is Ash. I've called you to warn you guys. Kenny's dangerous."

"Shouldn't we call the cops or something?!" asked Serena.

"No. He just needs to take his meds. That's all." said Cress sternly.

"Alright, why haven't his parents stepped in?"

"Oh come on Serena, you and I both know Kenny's parents have the combined intelligence of a brick wall."

"That is true..." said Serena.

"So... yeah. Just keep safe okay? Trip and I plan on getting this whole thing sorted out."

"How?"

"Well... we're just gonna tackle him down and force the medicine into his mouth."

Serena rolled her eyes.

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks. We'll need it. Bye." said Cress, hanging up the phone.

Serena hung up her phone and resumed pouring the cookie batter into the stencils. Just then, Ash and Delia entered the kitchen, Ash looking neat and cleanly shaven. His hair was still messy, but it was his usual messy.

"Serena, are you done yet?" asked Ash. "We have to go grocery shopping."

"Don't rush her Ash. Cookie Preparation is an art." said Delia.

"I'll be done in a sec." said Serena as she finished pouring the batter. She glanced at Ash. She couldn't help but feel a small surge of worry inside her, fearing for his safety. If what Cress said was true, Ash wasn't safe. Not in the slightest.

* * *

Red was exhausted. He had spent three hours helping Norman, Serena and May's father, move heavy objects around their house. His arms ached. He was in their living room, relaxing on the couch. Caroline, Serena and May's mother, was in the kitchen, cooking Red a reward for his hard work. He couldn't wait, as he had skipped breakfast that morning. Oh how he wished he hadn't done that.

Mouth-watering smells radiated from the kitchen, driving Red insane. He closed his eyes and began to breathe out of his mouth, in an effort to ignore the smells. It worked.

Suddenly, Red heard Caroline speak.

"Is Red asleep?"

Red heard Norman's footsteps get closer and closer. Norman walked into the living room and saw Red with his eyes closed and mouth open. He looked asleep.

"Yeah, he's knocked out. After all that heavy lifting, I knew he'd collapse sooner or later." chuckled Norman as he walked back into the kitchen. Little did he know, Red was wide awake.

"Norman, we need to talk." said Caroline seriously.

"What about?" asked Norman.

"What do you think?" snapped Caroline. "May. I'm getting really worried about her! She hasn't left that room of hers! She won't open the door for me, she won't open it for Max, not even Serena! What are we gonna do? She won't even tell us what's wrong!"

"So... you want me try?" asked Norman.

"No no no. Even if she lets you in, you'd probably end up making things worse."

Norman sweatdropped. "Gee thanks. So what do you want to do about it?"

"I don't know... I miss my May." said Caroline.

Red's hazel eyes, (which had been opened for a while now) narrowed in concentration. He quietly rose from the couch, making sure not to make any noises. He slowly tiptoed up the stairs, making sure to skip the squeaky ones. He reached the top and rolled his eyes at what he saw. A hall full of doors. He had this problem whenever he came to the Maple household. To him, it was a maze.

Red sighed an walked down the hall, looking for Serena's room. Serena had a label on her door, one she made for Red, since she knew how much her house confused him. Red smiled when he found it. On one of the doors, "Serena's Room" was written in pink marker.

Red then turned around. May's room was right across the hall from Serena's. He knocked on the door.

No answer.

Red then knocked the beat of "Jingle Bells", May's favorite Christmas song. After a few seconds, Red heard the door unlock. The door then cracked open slightly. Red looked into the crack and saw a pair of tired sapphire eyes looking at him.

"Oh, hello Red. What are you doing here?" asked May monotonously. A Gameboy could be heard in the background, the battle theme for Pokemon Blue playing. Red made a mental note of that.

He reached into his pocket for his tablet, but realized that he had left his tablet on the living room. He facepalmed.

"Let me guess..." sighed May. "You want to talk to me about what happened at the party."

Red nodded. May's eyes narrowed. She slowly closed the door, her unhappy eyes looking at Red's confused ones until the door was completely closed. She then locked the door. Red was about to knock again, but before he could, May spoke from inside her room.

"Tell everyone this: I will explain everything tomorrow night at the party. Til then, please, just leave me alone." said May weakly.

Red stood there for a second. He then shrugged and walked back downstairs. In their short conversation, he had gathered a lot of info from May. Whatever happened at the party had taken an emotional toll on her, and she was coping by playing Pokemon Blue. She wouldn't be playing Pokemon Blue if she was angry at Ash. If she was angry at Ash, she'd refuse to play the game, as it would remind her of him. Therefore, she must have been angry with Kenny, and not angry with Ash. Which meant that there must have been an explanation to the kiss she had shared with Kenny!

Red patted himself on the back. He was quite the detective.

When Red entered the living room, he found Caroline waiting for him, holding a tray that had 2 burgers and a cup of lemonade on it. Red's mouth watered.

"Oh there you are. I was wondering where you went. Here's a nice hot reward for all the help you've given us today!" said Caroline with a smile.

But Red saw through the smile. Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were sad. It didn't take a genius to conclude that she was sad because of May's behavior. Red took the tray from Caroline and bowed in thanks. She turned to leave, but before she did, Red quickly grabbed his tablet and entered in a few words.

"Don't be sad Mrs. Maple. I just spoke to May."

Mrs. Maple turned around, her shock a clear as day. "Y-you did?"

Red nodded.

"What did she say?!" asked Caroline.

"She wants to be alone a little longer. She's gonna come out and explain everything tomorrow night." typed Red.

"Oh thank goodness..." sighed Caroline, her hand over her heart. "You have no idea how worried I was about her."

Red gave Caroline a thumbs up, and then stuffed his face with the burgers, ending the conversation. Caroline chuckled and walked into the kitchen to tell Norman the good news.

Red sat down and placed the tray of food on his lap. His eyes darted around for the TV remote, and he found it right next to him. He grabbed it and turned the TV on. The channel that came up was channel 12. The local news channel. The volume was low. Red was planning on changing the channel, but before he could, a new story was introduced. The caption on the bottom of the screen read "Local High School Student Disappears."

Interested, Red raised the volume, and watched the anchorwoman on the screen speak.

"Just five days ago, on Christmas night, local 16 year old high school junior Kenneth Thompson disappeared. There are currently no leads on his whereabouts, as his mother claims he simply disappeared."

Red's eyes widened, and he almost choked on the lemonade he was sipping.

"Police officers encourage residents of Pallet Town to help in the search, and if anyone has any information whatsoever, please do not hesitate. Call the authorities immediately." said the anchorwoman. "Now, for our next story. Scientists have completed a new study on the effects of grape jelly on nuclear missiles, and you won't believe what they've found."

Red turned off the TV, his face blank. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent Serena a text message.

**_"Um hi, so I was just watching the news, and Kenny's gone missing. I guess he never went home after the fight. Should we be concerned? Love, Red"_**

Serena quickly responded.

_**"Yes Red, we should be worried. Very worried. I just got a call from Cress. It was... disturbing to say the least. -Serena."  
**_

Red raised an eyebrow.

**_"1. What did he say? and 2. How did Cress get your number? Love, Red"_**

**_"I don't know how he got my number. But anyway, he said that Kenny has a mental illness. Some of it's symptoms are obsessive behavior and violent tendencies. Apparently he's been taking medication for it since he was a kid, but he's recently stopped taking it. By recently I mean ever since the beginning of the school year. So yes, we should be very worried. If what Cress said was true, and he really is missing, then we aren't exactly safe. Especially Ash and May. -Serena"_**

Red placed his phone on his lap for a second, trying to take in the unexpected information he had just received. It sounded farfetched, but when he thought about it, it kind of made sense. Kenny's behavior in the last few months _had _ been obsessive, and he'd definitely used some risky, violent tactics in some of his schemes, like sending a Machoke after them.

_**"So what do we do? -Serena"**_

Red grabbed his phone and responded.

_**"We'll talk about this at the party tomorrow. Okay? Love, Red."**_

_**"Okay. -Serena."**_

Red stuffed his phone into his pocket and groaned silently. He then took off his hat and ran his fingers through his neat, dark hair. He was tired of Kenny. Very tired.

* * *

By the next day, December 31st, Ash was back to normal. He smiled, he spoke to his family, and ate at normal times of the day. The New Year Party was going to be starting soon, and the Ketchum family was busy preparing. Serena was there also. Delia was quite surprised to find the honey-blonde beauty on their doorstep at 12:00 noon. She had insisted that she help Delia out with all the food, not just the baking. Red and Delia were more than happy to let Serena in.

While Serena and Delia cooked up a storm in the kitchen, Red and Ash had been in charge of putting up decorations. They did it every year, yet for some reason, it was unnaturally challenging this time around. It was as if destiny didn't want them to succeed. Ash would inflate a balloon, and it would explode randomly ten seconds later. Red would place a table cloth on the living room table, and somehow, the table cloth would be caught by some random breeze and fly out the window. Ash had tried to hang up some lights, but he couldn't, as they caught fire as soon as he turned them on. Red had even tried to do a task as simple as pouring cups of juice. It did not go well. Eventually they gave up.

By the time they had admitted their failure in putting up simple decorations, it was already 4:00pm, and Ash and Red were still in their pajamas. They both rushed upstairs, to prepare for the party. Ash let Red shower first.

Ash stayed in his and Red's room, cleaning it. He wanted it to be clean, as most of the time, when his family had gatherings at his house, all the kids would hang out in his and Red's room. Normally he wouldn't care if the room was dirty, but this time around, he did. May and Serena were going to be in it also. While he was placing his various gadgets and gizmos in his drawers, he stumbled upon his camera. He picked it up.

"Hmmm..." hummed Ash as he opened another drawer.

Inside the drawer was May's Christmas gift to him. His eyes immediately went to the empty space for the sixth picture, which she had given him the honor of choosing. He smiled. His original plan of asking May to be his girlfriend on New Years Eve was very much alive now. He had been excited for it ever since Serena pulled him out of his depressed state. The perfect plan popped into his mind.

Ask May out.

Kiss her.

Take a picture of their first kiss.

Ash practically jumped in joy when he realized how amazing it would be if the plan actually worked. It put him into a state of hyperactivity. He placed his sunglasses on his face and started strutting around the room like a boss.

"Hey May," he said in a suave voice.

"Yes Ash?" he replied to himself, answering in a falsetto voice.

"Will you be my girl?" he asked in a suave, manly voice.

"Oh of course! You're so handsome and technologically gifted!" he said, once again in a falsetto.

"I love you Ma-"

"What are you doing?" droned Serena, who had just entered the room.

Ash jumped, his eyes wide. "Umm, nothing!"

"Really?" asked Serena with a smirk. "Because it looked to me like you were talking to yourself."

"Sh-shut up. What are you doing here anyway?" asked Ash.

"I was looking for Red."

"He's in the shower."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll leave you and 'May' alone then." chuckled Serena.

"Very funny." said Ash sarcastically as Serena left the room.

After that, Ash decided to just take a nap until Red was done showering.

* * *

Serena walked back downstairs, and saw a couple of drinks lined up on the kitchen counter. Delia was nowhere to be found. At the sight of all the beverages, Serena began to feel very thirsty. It had been a long day of cooking, and she needed a drink. She grabbed a cup and walked over to the counter, examining the different beverages.

"Apple Juice... nah... Orange Juice.. yuck... OOOOOOH, what is _this?_" sang Serena as she picked up a brown bottle.

It was a glass bottle, with gold words on it. A lot of the words were either scratched off or faded though. What caught Serena's eye was the word "Chocolate" on the front. She poured herself a cup, and took a sip. It tasted odd, but it definitely was chocolate. Without hesitation, she downed the rest of the cup. The taste was starting to grow on her. She poured another cup, and swallowed it in one gulp. She liked the taste. She poured another cup. She was halfway through her third cup when Delia entered the kitchen and shrieked.

"What's wrong Mrs. Ketchum?" asked Serena.

"Serena don't drink that!" cried Delia.

"Why? It tastes so good. What is this stuff? I want to buy some."

"THAT'S CHOCOLATE WHISKEY!"

"WHAT?!" shrieked Serena. "But- But I've already had three cups!"

"Oh no..."

"Is three cups enough to get me drunk?!" asked Serena, panicking.

"There's a lot of factors that go into how drunk you are! How fast did you drink them?!"

"I freaking _chugged_ them!" wailed Serena.

"This is bad... this is _really _bad..." said Delia as she paced around in circles. She looked at Serena, and frowned.

Serena's eyes were starting to narrow, and a small blush appeared on her cheeks. Her pupils were much larger, greatly overpowering her cyan irises. She blinked about 10 times and started looking around, examining the kitchen. She walked over to the stove and picked up a frying pan. She examined it carefully, and then, her face lit up. She then stumbled over to a chair and sat, a confused expression on her face. Delia shook her head. It was already beginning.

"Serena, you okay?"

Serena turned to Delia and nodded slowly.

"Yeah... I was just doing some heavy thinking..." said Serena slowly. She then rubbed her chin with one finger. "Y'know... frying pans... frying p-pans are just like pots, only flatter. Like, You can't boil stuff in a frying pan. But you can in a pot..."

_"Oh great," _thought Delia. _"She's one of those philosophical drunks."_

"You know what I'm sayin'?" asked Serena.

"Yes, totally." replied Delia. "Now Serena, I need you to come upstairs with me. You're... not sober, and you need to get some rest."

Serena's dilated eyes twitched, and then she got mad.

"Are you trying to say that I'm drunk? Because- _because_\- _**BECAUSE**_ -cuz I'm *hiccup* not! I'm just... I'm just really enlightened now! I see through the lies of this g-government."

"Serena... calm down." cooed Delia as she slowly approached Serena.

"Get away from me you *hiccup* conformist!" roared Serena as she threw a plastic spoon at Delia. Delia dodged. Serena then stood from her chair and stumbled out of the kitchen yelling "I... AM AS FREE AS A PIDGEOT!"

"This isn't good." said Delia.

* * *

Serena stumbled up the stairs and entered Ash and Red's room. Red was inside. He was halfway through dressing up, with only jeans and socks on his body. He was startled to say the least.

"Red!" hollered Serena as she fell face first onto his bed.

Red raised an eyebrow. He quickly put on his shirt and walked over. She seemed to be upset.

"Red, we have a *hiccup* problem!" said Serena, looking up at Red. "I MUST change my name to Blue!"

Red tilted his head.

"Why?" asked Serena harshly. She rolled her eyes and giggled. "So our child can be named Purple... duhhh... Because ya see, Red plus Blue equals Purple...Now that I think of it, what if color is just an_ illusion?_ I mean, who *hiccup* knows? Mysterious...I must perform an experiment."

Serena then pulled Red into a deep, passionate kiss. As soon as their lips made contact, Red understood what was wrong with her. Her breath smelled of alcohol. And her mouth tasted of chocolate. His mother's Chocolate Whiskey. She was drunk. Red broke the kiss.

"Kiss me more." commanded Serena, poking Red's cheek with her pinky finger.

Red crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Awwww c'mmoooooon... *hiccup" pleeaassseeeee?"

Red refused.

"You're so abusive!" cried Serena as she smashed a pair of sunglasses over Red's head. She then stomped out of the room, but not before tripping over her own foot. She slammed the door shut.

Red stared blankly at the door, eyes wide. Ash then entered the room, his hair wet from his shower.

"Hey Red, what's u-" he saw his shattered sunglasses next to Red. "What the heck happened to my sunglasses?!"

* * *

By 6:00, all of Ash and Red's relatives had already arrived. There were hugs, reunions, and laughs. Ash was upstairs in his room, along with many of his cousins. Red was downstairs with the adult men watching a basketball game. Serena had been hunted down by Delia and locked in the guest room. With drunk Serena out of the way, the party was going quite well. The women were in the dining room, talking about the latest episode of _"When Housewives Attack"._

_knock knock!_

"Who's that? All the families are here." asked one of Red's uncles.

Red stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it, and found Norman, Caroline, and Max. He waved to them all, but couldn't help but notice that May was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi Red!" chirped Caroline as Norman simple waved at the teen.

"Hey Red. *Ahem* May, you can come out now." called Max, his eyes on a shrub on the front lawn.

"Are you sure?" asked a voice from the shrub.

"Yeah. Red opened the door, not Ash." answered Norman.

Red watched as May timidly emerged from the shrub, Gameboy in hand. She slowly walked to the front door and looked at Red. She smiled slightly and waved. Red waved back, then frowned. He could tell she wasn't faring well emotionally. The bubbly, energetic May he was used to had been replaced by a timid, quiet, reserved one.

"So um, are you gonna let us in Red?" asked Max.

Red nodded and moved out of the way, allowing the Maples to enter. Norman immediately went to watch the basketball game with the rest of the men, while Caroline seemed to be looking for someone. Max headed upstairs, while May sat alone on the floor in the corner of the living room, playing Pokemon Blue with a nervous look on her face. After everyone became acquainted with one another, a few minutes later, Caroline approached Red.

"Hi Red, where's Serena?" she asked.

"I'm, *hiccup* right here!" yelled a familiar, intoxicated voice.

Serena waddled over, with a goofy grin on her face. Red sighed. How did she get out of the guest room?

"Hey there *hiccup* mother! You know, maternity is... maternity is... is... like paternity, only with an M i-instead of a P. Crazy shit right? I... I like words."

"Oh Serena... have you been drinking again?" asked Caroline, placing a hand on her hip.

Red's eyes widened. It sounded like this wasn't the first time Serena had been drunk. Caroline noticed Red's shocked expression and smiled.

"Serena has had bad luck when it comes to alcohol. She always ends up drinking it accidentally... and _this _side of her is always the result. Tell your mother she can stop hiding from me now, I'm not angry or anything." said Caroline.

Almost immediately, Delia appeared with a relieved look on her face.

"Oh thank goodness. That's a relief." sighed Delia as she walked over. "Come on Caroline, the rest of the ladies and I are watching the _"When Housewives Attack" _New Year Special in my room."

"Oooooh I _love_ that show!" gushed Caroline.

"Who doesn't?!" asked Delia as she and Caroline walked away.

But before leaving, Caroline had something to ask Red.

"Red... could you please be a dear and watch over Serena for the night? Just to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid?"

Red reluctantly nodded. His night was basically ruined, as he'd have to spend it with his intoxicated, violent, irritable, philosophical girlfriend. He glanced at her, and frowned. She was trying to explain the benefits of capitalism to a potted plant. She then started to rip the leaves off of the plant, angry that it didn't respond to one of her questions. Red rushed over and removed Serena's hand from the plant.

"Hands off, mortal!" commanded Serena as she kicked Red in a very sensitive place.

Red's jaw dropped as he fell to the ground, pain radiating throughout his mid-section. Serena walked away. Red sighed. He had to go after her. So with all his might, he got back onto his feet. But before he could follow her, he felt someone poke his back. He turned around to find May behind him, her Gameboy in her hand, as usual. The look of stress on Red's face immediately vanished.

"Hi Red." said May quietly. "Do you know where Ash is?"

Red pointed to the staircase. May nodded.

"Thanks..." said May as she slowly walked away.

Red couldn't help but notice something odd about the short encounter. He was able to see what was on the screen of May's Gameboy, and of course, she was playing Pokemon Blue. But what was odd was the fact that she seemed to be incredibly far into the game. Red had not helped make the game, but he knew some things about it, and he knew what Cerulean Cave looked like. In five days, May had already reached Cerulean Cave, where Mewtwo was located. This brought up a very valid question: Just how many hours a day did she spend on that game?

But before Red could think about it more, he heard what sounded like Serena breaking something. He ran after her. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Dammit Ash! How are you able to play so well with a broken wrist?!" roared Max as he threw his controller in rage. He had lost to Ash in Mario Kart Wii. For the 8th time in a row. Ash simply grinned.

"Maybe you should play someone else as practice." suggested Ash. He then turned around to the rest of the teens in the room. "Anyone else wanna play? I'm done for now."

"I will." sang a brown haired girl as she hopped off of Ash's bed.

"Oof, good luck Max. Leaf is even better than I am at this game." chuckled Ash as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Leaf, Ash's 16 year-old cousin.

"Downstairs. Gonna get a drink."

"Get me one too!" called Nate, another cousin of Ash's.

"And me too!" chirped Rosa, Nate's sister.

"Me three!" said Ethan, yet another cousin of Ash's.

"No." replied Ash.

"No to who?" asked Rosa.

"All three of you." said Ash as he opened the door of his room.

Nothing could have prepared him to see May on the other side of the door. He knew she was in the house, but for some reason he was still shocked to see her. He was about to speak, but was interrupted.

"Who is that?" asked Ethan, adjusting his black and yellow hat. "She's hot."

Ash blinked a couple times before turning his head slightly, an eye twitching out of annoyance. "Sh-shut up Ethan. She's just a... friend of mine. Keep your perverted eyes off of her."

"Oof, he called you a perv. Burn." commented Nate as he spun his red visor around his finger.

With that, Ash closed the door behind him and faced May again.

"Umm.. Hi." said May awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey..." greeted Ash, nervously scratching the beck of his head.

"So ahhh... what have you been up to?" asked May, looking at the floor.

"Meh, not much. How about you?" asked Ash, looking at the ceiling.

"Not much... been playing Pokemon Blue... can't catch Mewtwo... why did you make him so hard to catch?"

"Oh, you just use the Master Ball." said Ash, the awkwardness in the air slowly disappearing.

"Really?" asked May, her voice at her usual volume. "I kind of already used it."

"On what?" asked Ash, tilting his head.

"An Abra."

Ash looked at May in a face that could only be described as a "Are you fucking serious right now?" face. Ash pinched the bridge of his nose in disappointment.

"Why on EARTH would you do that?" he asked incredulously.

"Well Abras always use Teleport on their first move, so I was never able to catch one. So I used the Master Ball on one."

"Ugh..." moaned Ash rather loudly. "Give me the Gameboy."

"Why?" asked May, holding it close to her body.

"I'll catch Mewtwo for you." said Ash.

"...Okay." said May as she hesitantly handed the handheld game over to Ash.

Ash grabbed the Gameboy and quickly saw what pokemon May had. A Blastoise, an Alakazam, a Hitmonchan, a Fearow, a Raichu and a Rapidash, all level 65 and beyond. He exited the menu and approached Mewtwo. The battle begun. After a quick 4 minutes, Ash handed the Gameboy back to May. She looked at the screen and gasped. Her Rapidash was on the battlefield, and there was a normal pokeball on the other side. The caption on the bottom of the screen clearly read, "Booya! Mewtwo was caught!"

"Y-you did it! And you didn't even use an Ultra-Ball! How?!" she asked.

"All I did was get his HP critically low and paralyze him with your Raichu's Thunder Wave. After that, it was just like any other pokemon." replied Ash, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thanks Ashy!" chirped May as she pulled him into a tight bear hug. "You're the best!"

"You're *gasp**wheeze**death* welcome." sputtered Ash, the air being hugged out of his body.

Ash blushed. Receiving a hug like that was one of the things that made his friendship with May unique. And though there was no guarantee he'd survive any of May's death hugs, he'd always enjoyed them. He didn't even care about her kiss with Kenny anymore. He didn't need an explanation. And frankly, he didn't really want one any more. He just wanted to be her boyfriend.

May on the other hand was experiencing a roller-coaster of thoughts as she hugged Ash.

_"What am I doing?! I haven't even explained what happened on Christmas! I haven't apologized either! I can't just hug him and act as if I didn't kiss the person he hates the most in the world! Maybe it's not too late for me to apologize!"  
_

May released Ash from the hug, allowing Ash to gather oxygen back into his body. She took a deep breath and looked at Ash.

"Ash, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," wheezed Ash, "I'm used to your hugs."

"No, not the hug. I'm sorry for everything that happened on Christmas. Because of me, your Christmas was ruined, your wrist was broken, and-"

"It's fine."

"Huh?" asked May.

"You don't have to apologize. If anything, I should be sorry for breaking stuff and getting Kenny's blood all over your basement." chuckled Ash.

"No, _I_ should be sorry. I screwed up big time." said May, grabbing Ash's hands.

"Nah, I should be sorry! I was immature and resorted to violence." said Ash.

"Don't be silly," said May playfully, swinging Ash's hands back and forth. "Who wouldn't beat up their mortal enemy if they found them kissing their best friend?"

"Nah, _you're _being silly, you-"

"Oh my lord why don't you two just fuck already?!" yelled a familiar voice.

May and Ash both turned to their right, blush coloring their cheeks. The voice belonged to none other than Serena, who waddled onto the scene. Ash was surprised; he didn't expect such a vulgar question to come out of someone like Serena. Then he noticed her dilated pupils and red cheeks.

"Serena? Are you okay?" asked Ash.

"She's drunk again." answered May nonchalantly. Ash's eyes widened. _Again? _ "Red was in charge watching her. Serena, what did you do with Red?"

"Oh...*hiccup* nothing." giggled Serena as she accidentally bumped into a wall.

* * *

On the bathroom floor was Red, face down, unconscious, with the shattered remains of a glass mirror spread out all around him.

* * *

"He's just... taking a nap." added Serena.

May and Ash looked at eachother and shrugged.

"Well, umm, wanna play some video games?" asked Ash.

"Sure." responded May.

"Video games... are just another way the *hiccup* government keeps tabs on us! I ain't playin'!" growled Serena as she trudged away.

"...Anyway, let's play some Mario Kart." said Ash as he turned to open his room door.

"I rock at that game! I can beat anyone!" boasted May.

"Oh no you can't!" roared a female voice from the other side of the door. Before Ash could open the door, the owner of the voice opened it. It was Leaf, and behind her was Ethan, Max, Rosa and Nate, all of them oddly close to the door.

"Have you guys been listening to us this whole time?" asked Ash, clearly irritated.

While Nate and Rosa suddenly gained interest in their own shoes, Ethan began to whistle a catchy tune while looking at the ceiling, and Max awkwardly walked away. This left Leaf as the only one able to answer Ash's question.

Leaf began to stutter. "U-umm.. um, that doesn't matter! What matters is that I challenge this girl, Fay Naple-"

"May Maple." corrected May.

"May Maple, to a race!" bellowed Leaf.

"I accept your challenge!" responded May with fiery determination.

"Be warned; I don't hold back against newbies!" warned Leaf.

"Me?! A newbie?! Ha, don't make me laugh!" retorted May.

"Girls, girls..." interupted Ash as he handed the girls the controllers. "We'll let the results of the race do the talking. First girl to 5 wins gets bragging rights."

"Hmph. Fine." said both girls.

Ash could have sworn he saw a bolt of lighting spark between the girls' faces.

* * *

The next few hours of the night went quite smoothly. May and Leaf's Mario Kart battle came to a close finish, but in the end, Leaf was victorious with 5 wins, while May only had 4. It had come down to a final race, as both girls had 4 wins. May was in the lead for most of the final race, but on the final lap of the course, Leaf gained an incredibly lucky break when May's car fell into a trap, giving Leaf the perfect window of opportunity to gain the lead. By the time May had recovered, it was already too late. Leaf was ahead of her. In the end both girls were good sports. They agreed that they'd have a rematch in the near future.

Red had woken up around 10:00, dazed and confused. After a few minutes he remembered that Serena had broken a mirror over his head. He sighed and found her asleep in the kitchen. He carried her to the guest room and put her in the bed.

May found that she really liked Ash's cousins. Ethan was a loud, obnoxious pervert, but he was funny. She had a rival in Leaf, Nate was quiet but kind, and Rosa was a bundle of energy, just like she was. They made her feel as if she was related to them. She and Max had to keep reminding themselves that they weren't related to them. All the teens were enjoying the night, and before they knew it, it was 11:50.

"Kids," called Delia from downstairs. "Come on down, it's almost midnight. We have to have the count down!"

Ash, Ethan, Nate and Red (who had joined the rest of the teens after puttting Serena to sleep) were playing Super Smash Bros. Melee, and sighed at the fact that they had to put their intense battle on hold.

"Come on guys! We have to go down! There's only a few minutes left of this year!" chirped Rosa as she skipped out the door, with May, Max and Leaf following close behind.

"We'll be down in a few." answered Ethan. He then nodded to Nate. Nate walked over and closed the door.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"Ash," started Ethan.

"Are you and May... dating?" ended Nate.

"No. What makes you think that?" asked Ash.

"It really seems like you are. You guys are so physical and comfortable with eachother that it really looks like you're together." said Nate.

"Well... I'm actually planning on asking her out in..." Ash glanced at his alarm clock. "5 minutes."

"Oh shit. Little Ash is trying to get a girlfriend! Finally!" teased Ethan.

"Little?" asked Nate, an eyebrow raised. "You're only one year older than us Ethan."

"Shut it Nate." commanded Ethan.

"Whatever. So yeah, I'm asking her out at midnight." said Ash.

"Good luck. She seems good for someone like you." said Nate as gave Ash a thumbs up. He then left the room.

"Thanks Nate." replied Ash with a smile.

"Dude, if she ever sends you any... _dirty_ pics, remember, I'm your favorite cousin." said Ethan as he gave Ash a pat on the back.

"Shut up Ethan." said Ash as Ethan left the room.

Last but not least was Red, who simply punched Ash playfully in the arm. He then turned Ash's had backwards and mouthed the words _"You can do this.". _He then walked out of the room, saluting Ash on the way out.

"I can do this." whispered Ash to himself as he stood up. He looked at the clock. 11:57. He was about to walk out the door, when he heard something outside. He walked over to his window and saw his Pikachu and Red's Raichu in the front yard. Usually he'd have no problem with that, but something about them was off. First of all, his Pikachu wasn't moving. Then he saw something that made his heart almost stop. Blood. His Pikachu was bleeding. Profusely. And what he heard a few seconds ago was Red's Raichu, crying.

"What in the world..." muttered Ash as he opened the window. "Pikachu! Raichu! What the hell happened?!"

Raichu looked up, fear on his face. Pikachu did not move. Raichu frantically motioned for Ash to come down. It looked horrified.

Ash glanced at the clock. 11:58.

"Dammit..." whispered Ash. "I'm coming Raichu."

Ash climbed out of his window and climbed down the side of his house, something he had done many times before. He lost his grip half way down and fell 9 feet. But luckily, he landed on his feet. He looked around. The neighborhood was dark, and there was an eerie feel about it. The raven haired teen quickly ran over to his fallen pokemon, his hands shaking. He examined Pikachu's body for the source of the blood. He found it. On Pikachu's side was a wound. But no ordinary mood. It was long and deep. Something had slashed Pikachu. Ash was officially scared out of his mind.

"Raichu..." asked Ash, his voice trembling. "What happened out here?!"

Raichu began to explain, but of course, Ash couldn't understand what the rodent was saying. He sighed shakily.

"Pi...ka..." moaned Pikachu, the yellow pokemon's face twitching in pain.

"Don't worry bud, I'll get you to the Pokemon Center right away. Everything's going to be okay. You'll be fine. Nurse Joy's gonna heal you, and you'll be back to normal..." mumbled Ash, panic setting in. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Pikachu's wound to stop the blood loss. He then grabbed Pikachu in his arms.

As soon as Ash stood, Raichu pointed behind him and screamed.

* * *

11:59 pm.

"Where's Ash?" asked someone.

"I think he's still upstairs." replied Nate.

"Red, can you go get him?" asked Ethan.

Red nodded and headed up the stairs. He entered their room and found it empty. Even odder, he found the window open. He walked towards it, confused. The scene Red saw next would forever be burned into his mind. In all his life, he'd never seen something that would make him try to scream Ash's name, when he knew he had no voice.

* * *

Raichu screamed, and Ash turned around.

Before Ash could even order Raichu to use an attack, Ash was assaulted by a masked stranger. Ash tried to yell, but the person covered his mouth before he could. The stranger then thrust his fist into Ash four times. Ash collapsed, and the stranger sprinted away, never looking back. Ash, thinking he had only been punched, tried to get up, but four pains the likes of which he'd never felt before stopped him from doing so. He looked down at his shirt, and saw four rapidly growing blood stains on it. That's when he realized that those weren't punches that the masked stranger was throwing. They were were stabs. Ash's head fell back, directing his vision to the night sky above. His senses began to fade.

"Someone..." coughed Ash. "help..."

12:00... Midnight.

"Please..." choked Ash. "Any...one..."

His hearing was leaving him. The last things he heard were two things. Everyone inside yelling "Happy New Year", and what sounded like someone landing on the ground and running towards him. The last thing he saw was his what looked like Red, frantically trying to keep him awake. Ash managed to close his eyes.

And then, oblivion.

* * *

**Okay, that's that. I would like some constructive criticism. By the way, I chose Leaf, Ethan, Nate and Rosa as Ash and Red's cousins because those are my favorite pokemon game characters.**

**What will happen to Ash? How will May react to this shocking turn of events? Will Serena ever sober up? Find out next time.**

**Have a nice day/night. **

**~DarkSlash9**


	9. Worries Part 2

**Hi everyone. After a long wait, Chapter 9 has finally arrived. As I said before, this chapter picks up right where the las chapter left off. New Year's Eve. Ash and Pikachu are critically injured, Red is outside with Ash, everyone inside is clueless as to what's going on, and Ethan is still a perverted loudmouth. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. So get ready, because this chapter is the longest one so far. Exactly 11,000 words! I hope you enjoy it!  
**

**Q&amp;A**

GoldenGear6

Dude i created a acount just to say this i love this story and the aura one to u do great jobs keep them up (p.s. could u somehow incorperate a infernape in one of your stories please i would appreciate that) keep p the good work -GG

**Answer: Sure. I'll put an Infernape in my Aura story. :)**

Catalyxx

How many chapters will there be in total?

**Answer: 12.**

Do not kill pika

Keep up the good work! And a question - once this is finished, will there be more stories like this? Perhaps with both red and ash involved?

**Answer: Nah, I don't think so. I update my profile fairly often. In the Coming Soon section you can see what I'll be writing next.  
**

Fatmuffin  
Love it, keep up the good work - but a question is that would you be looking to write another story after this is done? You're writing is very good and I'd love to see more. Perhaps another with both red and ash (and may too) would be good (: a sequel is also a possibility I hope you'd be open too.

**Answer: I don't plan on making a sequel to this story. I do plan on making one-shots that are based off of this story though. I'll talk about this more in A/N in the final chapter.**

iceman209

One question, how does Red use Raichu if he has no way of issuing commands during a battle?

**Answer: Lolol I dunno. Maybe sign language.**

PolarDawn

You said at the beginning of the chapter that you weren't entirely sure if you liked the way the ending was written. Was the darkness within this chapter planned before hand, or did you suddenly decide to add it?

**Answer: I had the stabbing planned from the beginning, but I didn't know when or where to put it in.**

Block523

Was the masked person Kenny?

**Answer: Not telling youuuu...**

BladeDancer123

Just wondering, but what about the other playable characters? I mean, you have both from Black and White 2, yet you don't have Hilda and/or Hilbert, Dawn and/or Lucas, Calem, Brendan, the female playable character from Crystal, or Lyra? You don't have to include them, (after all, it your story) but I would like to see Brendan, Silver(after you set him straight personality wise), and maybe Wally? Once again, you don't have to, I'd just like to see how you'd use and implement them in(to) the story.

**Answer: I can't put Dawn, because I already have the anime Dawn in the story as Gary's girlfriend. For some reason I hate Lucas, so he's never being in the story. As for the rest of the playable characters... I don't have any ideas for what roles they'd play. If you have any ideas, feel free to PM me.**

etrigan the demon

you're kinda dark you know that

**Answer: Yup :P**

Pokiwar

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU! NOT ASH'S PIKACHU! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!

**Answer: Lol calm down. Pikachu's not dead.**

**Okay, now that that's finished, enjoy chapter 9 of Pokemon: Brotherhood!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon... :(**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Worries: Part 2

* * *

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" shouted everyone. Everyone except two teens.

"Where the heck is Red? He and Ash missed the countdown." muttered Ethan to himself.

"I'm wondering the same thing." answered May from behind Ethan.

Ethan jumped a little, unaware of May's presence. He leaned against a wall nearby and adjusted his hat suggestively. May raised an eyebrow. It seemed like he was about to flirt with her.

"Well hey there little one, May was it? Just in case you forgot, the name's Ethan. I just couldn't help but notice how beautifu-"

"I'm not interested." stated May flatly.

"Wh-what?" asked Ethan, eyes wide.

"You're trying to hit on me. But I'm not interested." said May with a smirk.

"Oh... well um... fuck." bumbled Ethan uncomfortably.

"How about we go search for Ash and Red, pretend this never happened, and live happily ever after?" asked May as she walked up the stairs, gesturing Ethan to follow.

"Yes. Let's do that." answered Ethan as he followed May up the stairs. But not without checking her out.

May didn't have to look to know that Ethan was not-so-secretly admiring her curves. She rolled her eyes. She was well aware that she was well developed for a 16 year-old, and it was no secret that boys stared at her curves much more often than she liked. It was the only reason guys in the past had liked her. And most of them would stop liking her or be driven away when they learned of her odd personality.

This was why she loved Ash so much.

She had never, _ever _caught him staring at any other area besides her eyes whenever he spoke to her, no matter what she was wearing. He liked her for who she was, not what she had. When she did weird things, he simply laughed, unlike other guys, who would back away or frown.

She was so deep in thought that she bumped into the door of Ash's room.

"Oops." she said dumbly.

"You're supposed to open the door first." said Ethan.

"I know that, Pervy McPervPants." she said.

"I'm not a pervert, I'm just an admirer of the female anatomy." said Ethan childishly, folding his arms.

"Yeah right." said May as she opened the door. The room was empty. May's eyes widened. "Where are they?"

"Hey, that window wasn't open when we left the room. Mysterious shit, huh?" asked Ethan as he walked up to the window. He looked out the window and froze.

"What? Are they out there?" asked May as she walked towards the window. Ethan frantically hopped out of the window before May could get to it. Her jaw dropped. "Ethan!"

She looked out the window, straight downwards. Ethan landed on the ground unscathed and began to sprint over to the front lawn. May's eyes followed Ethan, her heart almost stopping when she saw his destination. It was Ash and Red. Red was frantically shaking Ash, who looked... dead. There were four growing stains of blood clearly visible on his white collared shirt. May screamed a scream that pierced through the silence of the night, alerting everyone in the house, along with many of the people living nearby.

Within minutes, many of the people in the house were marching up the stairs, eager to learn the source of the scream. Caroline and Delia lead the group, and entered the room to find May unconscious, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"May!" cried Caroline as she ran to her daughter's side. "What's going on here?!"

"She's unconscious." said Norman as he walked over and knelt beside Caroline. "But what could have happened?"

Just then, a voice could be heard from out the window, speaking quickly. The room fell silent. Everyone listened carefully, and they were able to hear what the voice was saying.

"Yes, he has four stab wounds... One in the abdomen, three in the chest area! He's breathing, but barely!"

Gasps were heard throughout the room. Someone was stabbed?

"That's... that's Ethan speaking!" said Leaf.

Everyone looked around, and saw that Ethan was indeed missing.

"Ethan is missing..." started Nate.

"And so are Ash and Red." finished Rosa.

"Red is silent, and Ethan is the only one making any noise at all..." said Leaf. "But that means the one that got stabbed is..."

Delia gasped as she realized what the teens were saying. She ran to the window and peered out, to see Ethan on his cell phone, pacing back and forth frantically. Kneeling on the ground a few feet away was Red, who seemed to be crying. On his lap rested someone's head, their eyes covered by their messy raven hair. Delia shrieked when she saw the rest of the person's limp body.

"My... my baby..." she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Before anyone could do anything, she ran out of the room and headed straight down the stairs and through the front door. She ran across the lawn to Ash, Red and Ethan. In the distance, ambulance sirens could be heard.

* * *

_3 hours later..._

In the white, cold waiting room, they waited. Red, May and Delia, all of them waiting for a doctor to enter and tell them about Ash's fate. May, who had regained consciousness, sat beside Red, crying her eyes out. Red's hat cast a shadow over the upper half of his face, but it was obvious that tears were rolling down his cheeks as well. Delia physically could not cry anymore, her tear ducts were depleted. She simply sat, staring at the tiled floor with a face that could only be described as devastated. Norman and Caroline had left a few minutes earlier to retrieve Serena and Max from the Ketchums' house. The rest of Ash and Red's relatives were forced to go home, as the festivities of the night had been put to an abrupt end.

After 3 long hours of waiting, a doctor entered the room. Delia and May lifted her heads, eagerly waiting to hear the news. The doctor cleared his throat.

"How is he?" asked Delia, who was tired of waiting. "Is he going to make it?"

"He is currently in a position where anything can happen. One of the stabs was fairly inconsequential, but the other three punctured his lungs. We are doing everything we can, but given the amount of blood he lost, his chance of survival is only about 20%." said the doctor quietly.

"Only 20?" cried May. "That's barely anything at all!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're doing our best to increase his chances of survival... I suggest you all go home, rest, and return in the morning. We'll surely have an update by then. Whether said update is positive or negative, no one can say for sure."

Delia nodded her head in understanding. She knew that there was no point in staying the whole night. The last time she waited the whole night for someone who may or may not have woken up was when her husband passed away. And she didn't want May to feel the same way she did all those years ago.

"Come on Red, May." sniffled Delia as she stood up. "Let's go. We'll come back first thing in the morning."

"I'm not going anywhere!" yelled May defiantly. "I'm not leaving this building without Ash!"

"May, even if he were to wake up this instant, he'd still have to spend at least another week or two recovering. We have to leave." reasoned Delia tiredly.

"No! I'll wait 2 years if I have to!"

"Red." said Delia sadly.

Red solemnly nodded his head and stood from his seat. He walked over to May and wrapped an arm around her waist. In one fluid motion, he picked her up and held her over his shoulder. And walked towards the exit of the room.

"Hey! Put me down! Ugh! Put me down!" shouted May as she started kicking her feet and knocking her fists on Red's back. Her screams and attacks quickly transformed into sobs and weak arm movements as she broke down, sobbing louder than ever. "I can't leave... I won't leave..."

Red carried May out of the room, leaving only Delia and the doctor. Delia looked at the doctor with pleading eyes.

"Please, do everything you possibly can to save my son. Please." begged Delia before turning towards the door.

"We'll do everything we can." answered the doctor as Delia left the room.

...

Red walked slowly through the halls, heading towards the exit of the hospital. He was so deep in thought that he didn't pay any mind to the sobbing girl that he was carrying over his shoulder. Red's mind was not only overcome with sadness. No, there was another emotion building up inside him as well. Anger. Anger towards himself. He felt like he was at fault. Throughout the day, he and Serena had never gotten the chance to warn Ash or May of Kenny. And perhaps if they were warned, thought Red, Ash might have never been stabbed in the first place.

Red was so lost in self-loathing and despair that he didn't notice the rest of the Maple family standing right in front of him. Caroline, Norman and Max all had sad looks on their faces, but Serena looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, and she looked as if she was in pain. It was quite obvious the alcohol was wearing off, and she was experiencing a hangover. Before any conversation could begin, Red handed May, who was still sobbing, to Norman. He then looked at the floor.

"How is he?" asked Norman.

Red slowly shook his head, his eyes still on the ground. Max gasped.

"He... didn't survive?" asked Max, his voice cracking.

Red looked up from the ground and shook his head again, much faster this time.

"Then how is he?" asked Caroline.

"I'll explain." answered Delia, who had just caught up. "Come on, let's all sit in the lobby. I'll explain there."

While everyone followed Delia to the lobby, Red stayed where he was. He grabbed Serena's arm before she could follow. She turned around to say something sassy, but as soon as she saw the intense look in Red's eyes, she changed her mind. Her facial expression became just as serious as Red's.

"It was Kenny." she said quietly. "It had to be."

Red nodded his head.

"We have to report him to the police!" she whispered.

Red shook his head.

"Why not?"

Red pulled his tablet out of his pocket and began to type. He then pressed the Enter key.

"If we were to do that, they'd ask for substantial evidence. And do we have any?" asked the tablet.

"No, but we do have enough evidence to make him a suspect." said Serena as she rubbed her aching head. Just then, Red and Serena could hear the adults calling their names. Serena sighed heavily and grabbed Red's hand. "Come on, they're waiting for us."

Red nodded his head and followed Serena, anger and sadness still in his heart. But the anger was no longer focused completely on himself. There was a little section of it reserved for Kenny as well.

* * *

_Back at the Ketchum household..._

"I'm staying here!" shouted May stubbornly.

"May dear, you have to go home. You don't live with the Ketchums." reasoned Caroline.

"I'm just staying for one night!" she roared back.

"Why?" asked Max.

"Because Red and Mrs. Ketchum are going to the hospital first thing in the morning, while you lazy people are going to wait til noon! I can't wait that long!"

"I mean technically it's first thing in the morning right now. It's 3:46am." muttered Max. Everyone ignored his comment.

Norman's eyes narrowed. "May H. Maple, how dare you call us, your own parents, lazy? You've got some nerve! Keep this behavior up and you'll be grounded for all eterni-"

"Oh my goodness, if she wants to stay at their house, just let her." interrupted Serena, her hand on her forehead. "All this screaming is making my headache worse."

"We don't mind if May stays the night. It's nice to know that she cares for Ash so much..." said Delia weakly. "Besides, the guest room is available. She won't be a burden at all."

Norman relaxed and exhaled. "Fine, you can stay May. Serena, are you going to sleep here as well?"

"No. I'd rather not force them to spend the night with me in my current state." she said.

"Alright, let's go then." said Norman as he stood from the couch, Caroline, Serena and Max following suit. "May, we'll pick you up from here around 8pm okay? Remember, school starts back up on January 2nd, tomorrow."

"Okay." said May softly. "Bye."

After a chorus of goodbyes from the Maple family, they left. Delia immediately walked up stairs.

"Red, show May to the guest room. Get some sleep guys. We're going back to the hospital at 7:00am." called the emotionally exhausted mother from upstairs.

Red simply nodded and walked up the stairs, gesturing for May to follow him. They walked to the guest room in silence. Red could tell that May was upset with him for carrying her out of the hospital. It may have been the most awkward walk of his life. When they got to the guest room, Red shuffled around awkwardly as May examined the room. She then sat on the bed, and looked directly at Red with puffy, red eyes exhausted from crying. Red began to tremble. Word on the street was that when May was angry with someone, she would make sure they regret their own existence. He started twiddling his thumbs out of nervousness. May's expression softened after seeing how nervous he was.

"Calm down. I'm not going to bite you or anything. I just have a question." she said.

Red tilted his head. May patted the bed, signalling for Red to sit beside her. Red cautiously walked over and sat. May took a deep breath before asking her question.

"Who did it?" she asked.

Red sighed and pulled out his tablet. The battery was dead. He took off his hat and revealed his handy dandy black marker, which he no longer had at all times. It was just a coincidence that he had it on that day. He looked around for a piece of paper to write on, but couldn't find one.

"Don't worry, I got you covered." said May as she pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket.

Red took the paper and wrote a few words on it before handing it back. May took the paper back and read it.

_"Who do you think?"_

"Kenny." whispered May. Red nodded. May suddenly became very angry. "Doesn't he know this is crossing the line? He tried to murder someone!"

Red flipped the piece of paper over and wrote more words on it. He gave May the paper for her to read.

_"There's more to it, Serena and I will explain at lunch tomorrow."_

"Alright. Goodnight Red. Or Good morning. Whatever, sleep well."

Red walked out of the room and turned the lights off on his way out. May took off her bandana, got under the covers of the bed, and closed her eyes. But sleep wasn't coming to her. Thoughts of a certain raven haired teen kept invading her mind. Her mind played through every moment she had with him. She first thought of the first day of school, when she and Serena had bumped into him in the hallway. Though the meeting was short, she'd never forget it. Nor would she forget when she forced Ash to eat ice-cream, sending him into an ice-cream frenzy. She smiled as she thought of that moment on Halloween, where she almost confessed her crush on him. And her smile faded when she remembered his face after seeing her accidentally kiss Kenny. And she smiled again when they made up, becoming friends again.

But what would happen to all those memories if he were to die?

_"Ash... please don't die... you can't." _thought May as she rolled over.

After a while, May grew fed up with not being able to sleep. Her mind was to occupied with thoughts, she wasn't wearing clothes suitable for sleeping, and she just didn't find the guest room's bed comfortable. It smelled like peaches. She hated peaches. She groaned and rolled out of the bed.

_"If anything, I at least need to find some comfortable clothes_..." she thought.

She thought about her options. She didn't want to wake Delia up, nor did she want to wake Red... and there was no way she was going to sleep naked either. This left her with only one choice. She slowly tip toed out of the guest room, heading for one of the rooms down the hall. In order for this plan to go smoothly, she'd have to be completely quiet.

She slowly opened the door, holding her breath. She opened it enough to peek through the crack, and sure enough, the teenage boy inside was asleep.

_"Good." _she thought as she exhaled. _"Red's asleep."_

She continued to open the door, and she stopped when it was open just enough for her to slip through. She kept her eyes on Red, to make sure he was still asleep. Once her whole body was in the room, she slowly stepped towards Ash's half of the large room. She gently made her way to Ash's closet. She glanced at Red one more time to make sure he was asleep. He was.

May opened Ash's closet and examined the inside. On the bottom shelf he had his shoes. In the middle area all his shirts were hung. May smiled and grabbed a t-shirt.

_"Now where does he keep his pajama pants...?" _thought May as her eyes continued to travel up the closet.

When she saw the top shelf, she softly gasped. The top shelf was where he kept important things that he didn't want to lose, such as candy or money. But that's not what made May gasp. What made her gasp was the fact that he had a picture of him and her framed, on the top shelf of his closet, so he could see it every day. May grabbed the picture and stared at it. It was the one of them at the amusement park, with the sunglasses.

She smiled and placed the picture back on the top shelf. By now she had already forgotten about Red. She closed the closet rather loudly. As soon as she did it, her eyes darted to Red. He began to move around a little, which caused May to freeze. But instead of getting up, he stopped moving. May exhaled in relief. He walked over to Ash's drawers, and opened each one.

_"Video games... computer stuff... socks... jeans... pajama pants!" _thought May as she opened each of Ash's drawers. She found his pajama pants in the fifth and final drawer.

With Ash's clothes in hand, she began to take her own clothes off. Little did she know, Red had was actually awake. He had been since she closed the closet door. He had been watching what she was doing, wondering why she was going through Ash's things. He was perfectly fine with it until she started stripping down to her underwear. That's when he decided to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

Once May was in nothing but panties, she began to put on Ash's clothes. She put on the t-shirt first, and immediately realized that it was much too large. She simply shrugged her shoulders and put on the pajama pants as well. They were also too large. She tried to walk, but ended up falling face first onto Ash's bed.

She lifted her head from the bed, a dreamy smile on her face. The bed smelled like a mix of soap and oranges. In other words, it smelled like Ash. May smelled the shirt she was wearing, and realized that the shirt also smelled like Ash. Without hesitation, May pulled the rest of her body onto the bed and got under the covers. She sighed in relaxation. It felt like Ash's bed was much more comfortable than the one in the guest room. But suddenly, tears sprung from her eyes. His scent only reminded her of his current state. His fate was still uncertain.

She cried softly into the pillows of Ash's bed. Red, who was still awake, listened to her cry with a frown on his face. But soon, the crying stopped, and was replaced by light snoring. Red sighed in sadness. May had just cried herself to sleep, in Ash's bed, in Ash's clothes. It pained him to think it, but it was becoming obvious. May loved his own brother even more than he did.

* * *

The rest of the day was an emotional roller coaster for May. At 7:00am she had gone with Red and Delia to the hospital, where they received wonderful news from a doctor. Ash was in stable condition, and he could wake up any time within the next week. This brought great relief to everyone. It brought comfort to everyone knowing that he wasn't going to die from his injuries.

"Can we see him?" asked Delia.

"Yes, he has been taken out of the O.R. and put in the Intensive Care Unit. That's where he'll remain until his recovery is complete. Follow me."

May, Red, and Delia followed the doctor through the halls of the hospital and into the elevator. Once they reached the third floor, they followed the doctor down a long hall with many doors. The doctor finally stopped walking in front of one of the doors.

"Here he is, room 36B. Please don't try to wake him. It is important that he wakes on his own. Also, please try to keep your voices at a low volume. He has a... rather _difficult_ roommate."

Red, Delia and May nodded. The doctor unlocked the door for them and they entered. Inside, they saw someone who looked exactly like Ash, except it wasn't Ash. This person had the same messy hairdo, but blonde hair instead of black. His eyes were blue instead of brown, and his skin was pale instead of tan. He even had the small Z marks on his cheeks. He was sitting in his hospital bed, with a TV remote in one hand. His eyes were glued to a TV screen that was on a wall a few feet from his bed. The TV was showing an episode of Dr. Who. May walked over to the teen.

"A-Ash?" she asked.

The Ash look-alike paused his TV and looked at May. His eyes narrowed.

"Do I _look_ like this 'Ash' person?" snapped the teen. He had a British accent.

"I mean, yes, and no." answered May. "You look exactly like him, but you don't. It's confusing."

The boy opened his mouth to say something mean, but changed his mind. He turned his head back to his TV and resumed the show. "I think there's a kid named Ash in the other half of this room. Behind that curtain over there. Twit."

"What did you call me?" asked May, her hands on her hips.

"I called you a twit." he responded.

"Who do you think you are?! Why I ought to-" asked May.

"May, he's not worth the time. When rude people act up, just remember, you're the bigger person if you ignore them." said Delia, pulling May towards Ash's portion of the room.

"Oh wow, where on Earth did you get that shitty advice? Fortune Cookie perhaps?" asked the blonde boy.

"Excuse me?" responded Delia.

"I could swallow an entire bowl of alphabet soup and shit out smarter advice than yours." retorted the boy. Now both May AND Delia wanted to kill the kid.

Red pulled back both Delia and May, one with each arm. He pulled them towards the edge of the curtain so they could get to Ash, but not before looking the rude British teen directly in the eye and glaring at him. The teen simply smiled at Red evilly.

"Let me go Red!" roared Delia as Red pulled her and May into Ash's section of the room.

"Me too! By the time we're done with that jerk he'll be back in the Emergency Room!" growled May.

Red simply turned the two females around, turning their vision towards the patient resting right in front of them. His raven hair was in its usual mess, and he was in an all white hospital gown, with blue polka-dots. He had a few tubes hooked up to him through his wrists, but other than that, he looked fine. His face was completely relaxed, no signs of stress or pain evident.

"Oh, what a relief... my little Ash is okay..." said Delia as she walked over to her unconscious son.

Delia glanced at May to see the girl staring at Ash, love almost radiating off her. Delia smiled warmly as she sat in a chair located next to Ash's bed.

"I have no idea why I didn't see it before. You like him, don't you?" asked Delia.

"No," answered May as she sat on a chair located on the side of the bed opposite to Delia. "I love him."

Red smiled, while Delia sighed in relief.

"Y'know," started Delia. "I'm really happy my sons met you and your sister. You're both the sweetest girls I've ever met, and you've changed the lives of Ash and Red in so many ways, in such a short time. Serena is such a sweetheart, always willing to help me out with stuff. You don't know how happy I was when she told me that she and Red were dating."

Red could be seen blushing in the corner, his arms folded. Delia and May chuckled.

"Anyway, she's so helpful and is a great cook. And it's nice to see Red have a girlfriend he's finally happy with. And you May, you're just as great as your sister is. I was always worried about Ash. Before he met you, his confidence and self-esteem were almost nonexistent. So many girls had rejected him. He was bullied, made fun of, and humiliated all the time. I really began to worry that he'd take his own life, because no matter what anyone did to help him, life just kept on screwing him over. But then he met you. After meeting you, he... changed. It was a good change though. He started to smile more. He laughed more. He spoke more. He _lived_ more. My little Ash has grown into a fine young man now, and I owe it all to you. I can't wait til he wakes up, because I'm making sure the first thing he does is ask you to be his girlfriend. For all you've done, you deserve it."

May was speechless. Had she really done that much? Sure, Ash had definitely changed since she first met him. He _was _more confident. He _was _more lively. He _did _smile more. May's mouth slowly opened as she realized that Ash had become a completely different person than he was when they met for the first time. But even through all his changes in character and appearance, he still maintained the nerdy personality that she fell in love with in the first place.

"Wow, Mrs. Ketchum... I don't know what to say..."

"Please, you and your sister can both call me Delia." answered Delia.

"C-can I hug you?" asked May. Red tilted his head at May's odd request. But Delia simply smiled.

"Sure. Come here." said Delia as she spread her arms out for May to enter.

May walked around Ash's bed and walked into Delia's warm embrace. Red softly smiled. It was truly a heart warming scene.

"You people are fucking weird." interrupted the blonde teen from the other side of the curtain.

"What?!" asked May and Delia simultaneously.

"The fuck ya huggin' for?"

"That's none of your business!" replied May.

"It is, since you're hugging in _my_ room. Twit."

"I'm going to kill him." droned May.

"Oh yeah? You, a healthy person, are going to kill a defenseless hospital patient? Bitch, I _dare_ you. You won't do it." taunted the teen. Just then, someone could be heard opening the door.

"How many times do I have to ask you? Please stop causing trouble for your roommate's visitors." scolded a female voice.

"Sorry Joy." muttered the teen.

"That's _Nurse _Joy to you." corrected Nurse Joy as she crossed over to Ash's portion of the room. "Are you Ash's friend and family?"

"Yes." answered Delia.

"I have to do some routine procedures on him. I'm going to have to ask you to leave and come back in 10 minutes." said Nurse Joy.

"Okay. Red, May, let's go."

"Fine..." muttered May, reluctant to leave Ash's side.

May, Delia and Red left the room, doing their best to ignore the rude gestures being sent their way by Ash's blonde doppelganger. At noon, the rest of the Maple family arrived. Serena seemed much better, though she claimed she was still hungover. After learning that Ash was going to be okay, the Maples decided to spend the rest of the day in Ash's room with Delia and Red, in hopes that he might wake up. Their spirits were high, their thoughts no longer saturated with worries over Ash's fate. They were all hungry, but they simply ignored the empty feeling in their stomachs. But when 6:00pm rolled around, none of them could deny it any longer. They were all incredibly hungry. The two families decided to go out for dinner, and return visit Ash one last time afterwards. Ash's rude British roommate was glad to hear that they were finally leaving.

They walked to a local diner nearby. Once they entered, Norman asked the waitress for two tables; one for the adults and the other for the kids. The annoying happy-go-lucky waitress skipped over to two available tables and gestures for them to sit. Delia, Caroline and Norman sat at one table, while Max, May, Red and Serena sat at another. They all picked out what foods they wanted from the menu, and then broke off into their own conversations. While the adults were talking about sports and TV shows, the teenagers were talking about a much more serious topic.

"Alright guys," whispered May. "I know you guys want to tell me the full story tomorrow at lunch, but I want to know now. What is with Kenny? Is he crazy or something? Because I think he is. Scratch that, I _know _he is."

While Max sat in his chair texting his girlfriend with a dopey smile on his face, Red and Serena glanced at eachother. Red shrugged his shoulders, and Serena sighed.

"Fine, we'll tell you now. You're right. Kenny is crazy." said Serena.

"Knew it." said May as their waitress arrived with their drinks.

"There's more to it than simple craziness." said Serena as she grabbed her drink. "There's a reason he stabbed Ash."

"What's the reason?" asked May as she sipped her strawberry soda.

"You." said Serena.

May's eyes widened, and her straw fell out of her mouth. "M-me?"

Red and Serena nodded their heads.

"Kenny has some kind of disorder. I forgot the name, but the main symptom of it is being ridiculously obsessed with a love interest. It's no secret that Kenny's had a thing for you for as long as we can remember. Recently, Kenny has stopped taking his medicine for his disorder, allowing another symptom to come out."

"And this symptom is?" asked May.

"Violent tendencies. Violent tendencies directed towards obstacles getting in the way of his obsession. Obstacles such as rivals in love. In his case, it was Ash. After his fight with Ash on Christmas, he disappeared. Then he came back on New Year's Eve to stab Ash."

"Wait a minute. There's no _proof_ that Kenny did it?"

"No..." muttered Serena.

"Crap! How are we going to tell the police then?!"

"If we tell the police what we know now, he'd only be a suspect. And even that wouldn't even help, since he's still missing. The only way we can get him arrested is if Ash wakes up, gives the police station his description of what happened, and confirms that it was Kenny."

"Darn... I guess we're just going to have to wait til Ash wa-" the waitress arrived with their food. May eyed the food with a crazed look in her eyes. "FOOOOD."

From then on, they talked about other, less important things. They all finished their food around 7:15, and left the diner at 7:20. They arrived at the hospital, in hopes that Ash would be awake when they entered his room. He was not. Another 30 minutes passed, and before anyone knew it, it was 8:00pm. Norman looked at his watch and stood.

"Alright, it's 8:00pm. You kids have school tomorrow." he said, pointing to May, Serena and Max.

"You too, Red." added Delia.

"It's time we all went home, and got a good night's sleep. Our average schedules resume tomorrow. May, did you leave anything at the Ketchums' house?" asked Caroline.

"Nope."

"Then where's your bandanna?" asked Serena.

May's hands traveled up to her head, and she started patting her hair frantically. "Oops. I guess I left it. Doesn't really matter though. I have like, 70 more anyway. Just make sure to give it to me whenever you can, Red."

Red nodded. Just then, Max yawned obnoxiously.

"Let's go hoooome..." he whined.

"Shut up, Max." said May, Serena, Caroline and Norman, all at once.

"Everyone, let's go home." said Caroline.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Max could be seen rolling his eyes in the corner. They all stood and made their way to the exit of the room, all except May. As the rest of her family and friends left the room, she placed a quick kiss on Ash's cheek.

"Bye Ashy. Please wake up soon." she said quietly. She then left Ash's half of the room, entering a certain blonde asshole's.

"Who the fuck are you talking to? The bloke's not even awake ya twit." he asked.

May glared at him and walked out of the room.

* * *

Red woke the next morning. Immediately he felt different. Usually Ash was the one to wake up first. Then Ash would wake up Red. But Ash wasn't there. Red sighed and sleepily rolled out of his bed, landing on the floor. He landed on his Raichu. The Thunderbolt attack he received from his Raichu was enough to both fully wake him up, and make his neat hair as messy as Ash's for once.

He went through his daily routine and arrived in the kitchen earlier than usual. But much to his surprise, breakfast was already ready, and his mother was just sitting in the living room, not knowing what to do with herself.

"Good morning Red. It just feels so weird. Usually I make enough breakfast for three people... but today I didn't. I feel like It's like there's a void or something. You know what I mean?" asked Delia.

Red nodded sadly and walked over to his breakfast. He sat down and began to eat his breakfast. He stared at the empty seat across the table. The one that was usually used by Ash. Red stood from the table and put on his hat and backpack. Delia watched with a confused expression on her face.

"You're leaving already? You do realize you're leaving 15 minutes early, right?" asked Delia as she turned on the TV. The local news was on.

Red shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the front door. He waved goodbye to Delia before heading out. He took one step forward, felt the ice-cold January breeze, and took one step backwards. He walked up to his room, grabbed a jacket, and walked down the stairs. He was going to leave again, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he overheard the news story his mother was watching. He walked over and sat beside his mother, who was also listening to the story.

"...and the 16 year-old is said to be in stable condition, and will be awake any day now." said the anchor with a smile.

"I didn't know Ash was already on the news." said Delia. "And hey... I haven't thought of it yet, but who stabbed Ash? It's scary to think that whoever did it is still lurking around here somewhere..."

Red didn't answer.

"Now for out next story, missing teen Kenneth Thompson. Local students and neighbors have begun to hang posters around the town, in hopes that someone will be able to find him. If you or anyone you know has information on the whereabouts of Kenneth, please notify the police. Any clues would help fix this devastated community, and help heal the broken hearts of his parents."

"That's so sad... I hope he's okay..." mumbled Delia.

Red ignored his mother's statement and stormed out of the house at a brisk pace. How could Kenny's disappearance be considered devastating to the community, while Ash's stabbing was treated as everyday news? Red could deny it no longer. He hated Kenny. He hated Kenny with all his heart and wished him the worst in life. If Kenny was a cow, Red would tip him over. If Kenny was a cup of coffee, Red would spill him. If Kenny was tree, Red would turn him into firewood. Red continued to think of different things Kenny would be and what he'd do to them until he arrived at school.

As usual, a swarm of 20 or so girls approached Red. Also as usual, Red simply ignored them all, but soon, it was becoming overwhelming.

"Red! I love you!"

"You're so hot!"

"Marry me Red!"

"Red is a sexy beast!"

"Do you like me, Red?!"

"RED I WANT TO SNIFF YOUR HAIR AND HAVE YOUR BABIES FOR ALL ETERNITY."

That last one freaked Red out, causing him to trip and fall over. The swarm of desperate girls piled on top of Red, all of them jumping at the chance to be able to touch Red's face. Red simply gave up and let it happen, as all their combined weight was too much for him to crawl out of. The girls were doing all sorts of odd things to him, like pinching his cheeks, feeling his arms, or just laying on top of him. The ones who weren't able to touch him simply crowded around him, taking pictures and blowing kisses.

"GET. OFF. OF. HIM." growled an almost demonic, blood curdling voice.

The girls all paused their harassment of Red to see who would say something so ridiculous. Standing in the hallway was a honey-blonde haired girl with a pink hat and matching pink sweater. Her cyan eyes practically glowed with rage. Standing next to her was a brunette in a green bandana and a matching green sweater. She was too busy playing her Gameboy to pay attention to what was happening.

"Who are you to tell us what to do?" asked one girl.

"I'll tell ya who." barked Serena as she walked over to Red and helped him off the ground.

Red smiled and scratched the back of his head nervously. Serena confidently smirked and pulled Red into a deep kiss, purposely making it a dramatic one to get her point across. She then turned to the rather unimpressed crowd of girls standing before her.

"I'm his girlfriend." she stated, her arms folded in triumph.

"So?" asked another girl as she yawned.

"Red's had tons of girlfriends. Just because you're his girlfriend doesn't mean he likes you." added yet another girl.

Red rolled his eyes and pulled Serena into another kiss. A chorus of "WHAT?!"s could be heard. Serena smiled.

"Red never kisses girls first! This can only mean..." started one girl.

"...He actually likes her!" ended another girl.

The girls determined that it had to be a sign of the apocalypse, and scattered throughout the halls, screaming the news to everyone they could tell. Red smiled and put his arm around Serena, who kissed him on the cheek. May walked up to the couple and turned off her Gameboy.

"Congratulations Serena, you just made about 20 to 30 enemies in 5 minutes." she said.

"Whatever. Hopefully now that they know I'm with Red, they'll back off." replied Serena.

Red shook his head, while May snorted. Just then, the school bell could be heard, signalling the students to head toward their first class of the day.

"Come on guys, let's get to Math before Professor Rowan's head explodes. We all know how much he hates late students." said May. "And Red, did you bring my bandana?"

Red facepalmed. He forgot it.

"Ah whatever. Just give it to me tomorrow."

Red nodded.

The rest of the day was rather boring for the trio, nothing eventful happening. Serena spent most of the day receiving death-stares from various girls, which she was rather unaffected by. Ash did cross her mind a couple times throughout the day, but she thought about him the most in the science class they shared, Advanced Placement Human Biology. He was her lab partner, and without him, there was no way she could possibly finish their experiment in time. She would never admit it, but she missed the raven haired brainiac.

Red spent the rest of the day answering the multiple questions about Ash he received from random people. They ranged from "Is he okay?" to "You have a brother?" It got to the point where Red grabbed a sheet of paper and taped the words "ASH IS FINE." to his chest. That seemed to do the trick. But Red found it quite interesting that people that usually paid Ash no mind were suddenly concerned for him.

May's day was the worst by far. She missed Ash, and it was only made worse when she had to spend lunch with Red and Serena. She felt like she was third-wheeling. She sat there at their table playing her Gameboy awkwardly while Red and Serena acted all lovey-dovey in front of her. Red and Serena were completely oblivious to the uncomfortable look on May's face.

But all that changed when the school day ended. Red was at lacrosse practice, Max was going over to Bonnie's house, and Serena had to stay after school to finish her science experiment. This left May alone. It took her only a few seconds to figure out what to do. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and called her mother. Caroline picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom!"

"Hey May, what's going on?"

"I'mGoingToTheHospitalToVisitAshByeLoveYa!" rushed May. She then hung up before her mother could respond.

With a mischievous smile on her face, she turned her Gameboy on. She walked in the direction of the hospital. She had already beaten Pokemon Blue, but wanted to play it again. But she didn't want to play it the same way she played her first playthrough. So on her walk to the hospital, she came up with a new way to play Pokemon Blue. A challenge. A challenge where she'd have to release a pokemon if it faints in a battle. A challenge where she could only catch the first pokemon she saw in an area. A challenge where she had to name her pokemon, in an effort to strengthen her bonds with them. May was practically shaking in excitement.

She arrived in hospital, and after checking in at the front desk, she made her way to Ash's room. Of course, she was greeted by his horrid roommate.

"Oh wonderful," he sighed sarcastically. "_you're _back."

"I missed you too." spat May as she crossed into Ash's half of the room.

Ash still wasn't awake. May simply sighed and sat beside him. She turned on her Gameboy, but suddenly lost the motivation to play. She turned it off and put it in her backpack. She then pulled out her homework. Every few minutes Nurse Joy would walk in and out of the room for unknown reasons. When May finished her homework, Nurse Joy walked in again. This time May made eye contact. Nurse Joy smiled nervously.

"I'm sorry, I just think it's so cute how you're spending all this time with him. Are you his girlfriend?" asked the Nurse Joy.

"U-um," stuttered May, a blush forming on her face. "More or less."

"That's adorable." said Nurse Joy as she walked out of the room giggling. Ash's roommate could be heard grumbling something about Nurse Joy having a stupid giggle.

May sighed and stared at Ash. She grabbed his hand and smiled.

"When will you wake up? I miss you..." she said.

She gently squeezed his hand. A small smile formed on his face, but it faded after a few seconds. May's heart fluttered.

"I love you." she thought aloud.

"Eh, you're not my type." replied Ash's roommate.

May growled.

* * *

After spending most of her afternoon in Ash's hospital room, May decided to leave the hospital around 6:00. Dinner was in half an hour, and it took her about 20 minutes to walk home. She kissed Ash's cheek and left the room, ignoring his British roommate. Once she was out of the room, she felt like playing her Gameboy again. She turned on Pokemon Blue and started a new game, ready to start her challenge.

She walked down the quiet streets of Pallet Town, the sun already setting. She looked at her surroundings, and realized she was about halfway home already. It was starting to get dark out. The sun wasn't fully down yet, but the sky was no longer bright. Most girls would be afraid if they were walking home alone at dusk, but May was different. All the horror movies and scary stories she watched and read everyday desensitized her to certain fears. And being alone was one of them. But she couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed. She kept on glancing over her shoulder, but there was nothing there. She shrugged.

She continued to play Pokemon Blue, until she heard a twig snap behind her. She turned around, but no one was there. She shrugged and turned back towards the direction she was walking in. But as soon as she turned back around she shrieked. Kenny was standing right in front of her.

_"How the heck did he do that? Is he a magician? O.O" _she thought. She looked at him with wide eyes. He smirked.

"Hello May." he said.

"Get the hell away from me. You're a monster." spat May as she walked past him.

"Hey," said Kenny as he grabbed May's arm, preventing her from walking away. "That hurt my feelings."

"Oh yeah? Well it hurt my feelings when you tricked me into kissing you. It hurt my feelings when you fought Ash and trashed my basement. And it _really _hurt my feelings when you freaking _stabbed _Ash four times!" growled May, yanking her arm out of Kenny's grip. "I'm calling the cops!"

"Me? Stab Ash? That's crazy talk." said Kenny as he grabbed May's arm again, holding it tighter this time.

"Get off of me you psychotic jerk-face! Ash almost died because of you!" yelled May. She raised her free hand to slap Kenny in the face, but he caught it. He now had both of her arms in his grip.

He stared into May's eyes, insanity etched in his eyes. May began to feel afraid. She had just noticed how gross he looked. His hair was a brown mess, his eyes were bloodshot and twitchy. His clothes were ridiculously dirty, and he smelled bad. He smiled, revealing dirty teeth.

"Oh May... you're so beautiful..." he cooed darkly. "If only you could see that Ash is no good for you."

"Get away from me." growled May through gritted teeth.

"Not in a million years." chuckled Kenny as he backed May up into a nearby fence. His face became dreadfully close to hers, allowing her to receive a large whiff of his terrible breath. "Y'know, we're all alone now."

Fear began to form in May's mind as she realized how bad her situation was. Night was quickly approaching, and she was trapped with a guy who's been obsessed with her for years. May knew that stories like this usually didn't end well for people like her. She let out a sharp scream, but Kenny quickly held both her wrists with his right hand, freeing his left one. He covered her mouth with his left hand.

"Shhhhh. We don't want anyone disturbing us." he whispered. He then glanced downwards and smirked. "Hmmm, your body is truly something else... You've got the perfect hourglass figure... the things I'd do to you..."

May gasped. She immediately started crying. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see Kenny's face anymore.

"Don't cry..." whispered the brown haired psychopath. "There's nothing to be afraid o-"

May felt Kenny's hold on her wrists be released and opened her eyes. Kenny had been pulled off of her by someone. The person's identity was obscured by the black hood that was on their head. The person had Kenny pinned on the ground, and was punching him repeatedly in the face. Kenny was doing his best to fight back, but he couldn't. The hooded stranger was too powerful.

At last Kenny simply gave up and decided to endure the beating. But even enduring it was impossible. It wasn't long before Kenny was unconscious, and that's when the stranger finally stopped the ass-kicking. The person stood up, patted the dirt off their jeans, and admired their work. Kenny had a bloody nose, a busted lip, a missing tooth and two black eyes. May wasn't 100% sure, but she could have swore she saw little stars flying around Kenny's head.

The person picked up Kenny by the feet and nonchalantly slung him over their shoulder, as if they were jolly old Saint Nick and Kenny was their sack of Christmas gifts. The person then turned to May, their hood casting a shadow over their face. May blankly stared at the hooded stranger.

"Th-thanks, whoever you are." she squeaked.

The person removed their hood, to reveal a familiar pale person with neat black hair and hazel eyes.

"Red?!" asked May.

Red nodded. He had a straight face on.

"H-how? How did you know we were here?!" asked May, astonished.

Red tossed Kenny back onto the ground and pulled out his tablet. he typed a few words.

"I was walking to the video store and heard some voices and a scream. I came to investigate." responded the tablet.

"Oh... well thanks again. I don't want to think about what could have happened if you didn't save me... So where are you taking him? the Police Station?" asked May, pointing to Kenny.

Red nodded as he picked up Kenny again.

"Want me to come with you?" she asked.

Red shook his head and walked away. May watched him leave.

"Bye..." she mumbled.

Red heard her and waved goodbye with his free hand. Just then, May's phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the Caller ID. It was Serena. She picked up.

"Hey." greeted May.

"What's going on? You never miss dinner." asked Serena.

"Sorry... Stuff happened." said May distantly.

"Stuff? What kind of stuff?" asked Serena.

"*sigh* I'll explain when I get home." said May. "I'm a few blocks away. Seeya in 5 minutes."

"Okay. Bye."

May hung up her phone and sighed. She turned around in the direction that Red had walked off in, but he was gone.

"He is so damn mysterious sometimes..." the thought aloud as she resumed her walk home.

* * *

Ash's eyes cracked open. His vision was blurrier than usual. All he could see was that he was in a mostly white room. He realized that he was not in his own room. He felt around, and realized that he was not in his own bed. He felt around for the case that held his contact lenses, but couldn't find it. Beginning to panic, he tried the sit up, but was halted by four numb pains in his torso. Then, it all came back to him. Pikachu and Raichu, the masked son-of-a-bitch that stabbed him, everything. His eyes widened.

"Where's Pikachu?!" he thought aloud.

"Oh, you're awake." said a sweet voice. "Don't worry, your Pikachu is alive and well."

Ash's head turned to the source of the voice. A woman dressed in all white with pink hair approached him. His blurry vision couldn't make out her face, or any of her features. He gulped and feared the worst.

"Where am I?" he asked shakily. "Am... am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

"Umm, no." answered the woman. "You're alive, and this is a hospital. I'm your nurse, Joy."

"Oh," exhaled Ash in relief. "So how long have I been here? What's today's date?"

"It's January 3rd. You've been here for 3 days."

"THREE DAYS?!" shrieked Ash.

"Yes."

"Oh man, school started yesterday! My perfect attendance record is ruined..." said Ash. He fell silent. He seemed to be forgetting something. Then it hit him like a load of bricks. "Holy crap, how is my family doing?!"

"They're fine." answered Nurse Joy. "A lot of them have been visiting you to see if you're awake. But there's this one girl that came after school yesterday to visit you. She stayed by your side for almost 4 hours yesterday, even longer than your mother and brother did. She came straight from school, with her backpack and everything. She sat right beside you and pulled out her homework. When she finished that, she spent a lot of time just holding your hand. I think her name was May."

Ash was speechless. Nurse Joy giggled at his shocked expression. Ash looked at her and tilted his head.

"She... really did all that?" asked Ash.

"Yup. It was the most adorable thing." chirped Nurse Joy. "Actually, she came around this time yesterday. Who knows, she might come again today!"

"Wow..."

"Don't listen to that mediocre pink haired skank. She's full of lies." bellowed a British voice.

"Who the heck is that?" asked Ash.

Nurse Joy pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh him? That's just your roommate, H-"

"Bitch, I told you you're not allowed to say my name! Now, please go get me some tea." he ordered.

"What kind of tea?" sighed Nurse Joy.

"What else? Earl Gray!" shouted the teen.

Nurse Joy angrily walked out of the room, heading towards the cafeteria to make the tea. Ash and his roommate sat in awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally Ash decided to spark a conversation.

"So..." said Ash.

"Shut up." ordered the roommate. "I hate you."

"Hey, if we're gonna be roommates for a while, we gotta talk to eachother a bit." reasoned Ash.

"...Fine."

"So, what's your name?"

"None of your business."

"Okay... why do you have a British accent?"

"No idea. The reason I'm in here is because of a nasty head injury I got in an intense game of chess. The doctors did some surgeries and procedures, and when I woke up, I had a British accent. I didn't have one before the incident. I'm still confused as to how it's even possible. So, what are you in the hospital for?"

"I got stabbed 4 times." replied Ash.

"Yikes. So, that brown haired gal. May. She really seems to have a thing for you. Personally I wouldn't date her. Not my type."

"Then who _is _your type?" asked Ash.

"Cynthia. Cynthia Shirona, Sinnoh's pokemon champion. She's a goddess."

"...I don't... I don't think she's in your leag-"

Just then, the door could be heard opening. Ash waited for his roommate to speak. But he didn't.

"What's up, loser?" asked a familiar voice.

"Not much, bitch. Your little boyfriend's awake." replied the roommate.

Silence. Ash braced himself for impact. May pushed the curtain aside and burst into Ash's half of the room, a huge grin on her face.

"ASH!" screamed May, tears of joy falling from her eyes.

"Hi May." replied Ash with a smile.

May hopped onto Ash's hospital bed and tackled him into a huge hug. Instead of gasping for air like usual, Ash began to wince and yelp.

"May! May! My wounds! You're messing with the stitches!" he cried.

"Oh, sorry." laughed May as she wiped the tears off her face and hopped off of Ash. Ash raised an eyebrow. His vision had cleared up a bit, allowing him to see the tears she were wiping off.

"May, why are you crying?" he asked.

May smiled as if Ash was a three year old who had just asked a funny question. "Ash, you probably don't know, but there was only a 20% chance you'd survive. There was a high chance you would die. But you didn't, and I'm so happy. And now I'm crying."

"Wow... 20% huh..." he mumbled, running a hand through his raven hair. He looked at May and grinned. "Well I'm glad I didn't die. That would kinda suck, huh?"

"Yes," giggled May. "yes it would."

Ash smiled. May smiled back. She then sat beside Ash. It was good to have him back. Ash was also happy to be back. He thought about what Nurse Joy had told him. She stayed with him yesterday, longer than anyone else. Ash knew that this was the perfect chance. The perfect chance to finally, after weeks of trying, ask her the question. He turned to her, to find her big sapphire eyes staring at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.

"How did it feel?" she asked.

"What?" asked Ash.

"How did it feel? Y'know, how did it feel to get stabbed?"

"Are... are you serious?" he asked.

"Yeah." she said, as if she had just asked him a normal, everyday question.

"Well, um, it hurt. It kinda felt like... like... wait, why do you want to know anyway?" asked Ash.

"I mean most people that get stabbed 4 times don't live to tell the story. Just wanna know how it felt. What's so wrong with that? On a scale of 1 to 10, how much did it hurt? '1' being a pinch, and '10' being a broken bone."

"12." answered Ash.

"Cooool." replied May childishly.

"You're so weird." laughed Ash.

"You love it." replied May jokingly. But the word 'love' changed the mood of the whole conversation instantly. It reminded Ash of what he wanted to do. He took a deep breath and looked around. May watched Ash confusedly. "Ash, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing." he replied. "Just making sure there's no Machokes, Kennys, or creepy guys with knives to interrupt me this time."

"Interrupt you... this... time?" asked May.

"Yeah." replied Ash. _"This is it. No interruptions this time around."_

Ash's brown eyes locked with May's sapphire ones, and suddenly, the two were in a world of their own. May could see that Ash was nervous about something, but she didn't know what. Somehow she was completely unaware of what Ash was about to do. She smiled and scratched her cheek in confusion.

"May Maple, will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

**:) Cliffhanger. Ha. Let me know what you thought of the chapter! And by the way, this story only has 3 chapters left, one of which is an epilogue. And just a heads up: don't be surprised if the next chapter for this story doesn't come out for a while. I'm going to some stupid summer camp for 8 days. I'll try to write as much as I can before I leave, but I doubt I'll finish. Sorry.  
**

**P.S. Thumbs up to anyone who recognizes Ash's roommate!**

**Seeya next time!**

**~DarkSlash9**


	10. Kisses

**Sorry everyone, but I'm starting this off with a small rant. **

**Dear readers, **

**When I do not update for an unusually long time(long time meaning 3 or more weeks), there's usually a goddamn good reason behind it. I am aware that I am behind schedule. I think about it a lot. Sending me impatient hate mail in which you yell at me to hurry up does not make me write more. It just makes me angry. I only responded to the PMs that didn't make me want to smash my head into the closest brick wall. And here's something else; Fanfiction is not a priority in my life. Don't get me wrong though, I enjoy writing, and I enjoy all the reviews and favorites and follows. But I'm a 16 year old boy. If my friends ask me to hang out with them, I'm not going to turn them down because I have to write a chapter for my story. I hope you all understand where I'm coming from.  
**

**Okay, now that that is over with, I'll give you all an explanation on why I didn't update for a month. There's a couple reasons. The first one being the fact that I was at camp for 8 days. Second, my internet was down for three whole days, forcing me to write on my cell phone, which is MUCH slower than typing on a computer. And finally, Writer's Block. It's weird, because I've never gotten a full on case of it when writing this story. I usually know exactly whats going to happen when I write a chapter for this story, but for this one, I didn't. Even now, I don't know if I'm satisfied with the way this chapter came out.  
**

**Q&amp;A.**

BlackMetagross

How many more chapters do you think there will be?

**Answer: 1 more after this.**

NightTheDead

1 question, why did you pick Kenny to be the crazy ass dude lol!

**Answer: It'd be too cliche for it to be Drew. So I chose Kenny.**

Moon Sun and Thunder

Why are all of your british characters evil or assholes?

**Answer: Haxs is my only asshole character that's British.**

Guest

Best fanfic I'm glad i found this but is there gonna be a lemon in this story or is it just rated M for the language

**Answer: There will be lemons in one-shots based off of this story. Read the A/N at the end.  
**

TerrenceSweets

Question: will Haxs be appearing in more of your future stories? I simply love the way you portray him.

**Answer: He will appear someway, somehow in all my stories. Sometimes he'll be a major character like in my other story. And sometimes he'll have minor roles like in this one.  
**

Amalgam24

The roommate is Haxs isn't it?

**Answer: Yes.**

PolarDawn

Why'd you have Red reveal his identity to May after he beat up Kenny? I was hoping you were going to leave him anonymous.

**Answer: I revealed his identity because I was hoping people would notice that Red is always the one to save people. In the first chapter, he saved Ash from Kenny. Later on he saved Serena from getting hit by a car. And then he saved May from Kenny.  
**

**ONE FINAL**** T****HING:**

**In this chapter, there is romance of course. But not all of it is fluffy, lovey dovey stuff. I've been keeping this story relatively clean romance wise, but this chapter has a few sexual undertones here and there. Gotta remember, while Ash, May, Serena and Red are all lovestruck teens, they have raging teenage hormones as well.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Kisses

* * *

Ash exhaled in relief. Finally, he had asked the question. It was as if an elephant was sitting on his chest, and it had finally gotten off of him. But unfortunately, the elephant came back immediately, because he realized that May hadn't answered him. He looked at her face, and saw that she was tearing up.

"May, are you okay? Was it something I said?" asked Ash frantically. He was confused. How would asking a girl out make her so sad that she'd cry? He decided apologizing was the best route. "If it was, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry or hurt yo-"

"You dummy," sniffled May. "I'm crying because I'm happy. I have the coolest boyfriend in the world now."

"You... you _are_ talking about me, right?" asked Ash seriously.

"Yes!" hollered May as she pulled Ash into a hug.

Though the angle of May's hug put stress on Ash's stitches, he could not care less at the moment. He felt like his life was complete. A girl that finally liked him back. A girl that made him happy. A girl that was... staring at him? After the hug, May had sat back in her seat. Her cheeks were pink, and her lips were curved in an adorable smile. Ash stared back, once again confused.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"I dunno." replied May shyly.

"So ummm, what do you want to do now?" asked Ash.

"I have an idea..." said May as she scooted her chair closer to Ash.

Ash's eyes widened as May's lips met his own. He wasn't expecting it; He thought kisses on the lips were things normal couples (He did not count Red and Serena as normal) did after a week or two of dating, not a few minutes in. But he wasn't complaining. He was enjoying every second of it. But then he realized something.

_"Oh shit, I'm supposed to kiss her back aren't I?"_

So he did just that. Though he was inexperienced, he did his best, basically copying everything May's lips were doing to his. He thought he was doing well enough, but apparently he wasn't, because May pulled out of the kiss rather early.

"You're thinking too much." she stated plainly.

"What?"

"You're thinking too much while you're kissing. It should be totally natural. Just go with the flow. Here, let's try it again. We'll pretend that first kiss never happened."

May leaned in to kiss him again, and this time Ash took her advice. He closed his eyes and did what came naturally to him. At first he didn't know if he was doing any better than before, but he knew he was doing it right when the smallest of moans came from May. Her hands moved from his shoulders onto his head, her petite fingers running through his raven hair over and over. It was only their second kiss, and it already seemed like they had been kissing for months. But unfortunately, they were not the only ones in the room.

"Words cannot describe the amount of pure disgust I am experiencing at this very god-forsaken moment." commented a familiar British voice monotonously.

May and Ash separated, both of them breathing heavily. Ash's roommate could be seen standing by the curtain which divided his and Ash's halves of the room. May growled, while Ash gasped.

"Goddamn, you look just like me! Except with different colors..." said Ash in awe.

"I have been told." replied the roommate as he walked over to the window and opened it. "All I wanted to do is open the damn window. I didn't ask to witness live-action teenage hospital sex."

Ash and May began to stutter and babble, unable to come up with a clever reply to the roommate's words. After at least a full minute of failed sentences and frantic babbling, May was able to come up with a retort.

"Wh-what's your name anyway?! I'm going to report you to Nurse Joy! Then she's gonna whoop your tea-sipping ass!"

"Oh no, not Nurse Joy!" cried the teen sarcastically. He then laughed evilly and went back to his side of the room. "That's a load of rubbish. I ain't afraid of her, gal. But if you insist, my name is Haxs."

"Well _Haxs,_" interrupted Ash bravely, "You'd better stop bothering May, or I'll... I'll umm... uhh... make you regret it?"

May giggled. Ash's sentence started out brave and full of promise, but as he continued speaking it gradually lost its luster. Haxs rolled his eyes, while May hugged Ash. Ash smiled. Somehow, he was still having trouble believing that this was all actually happening. May was his girlfriend. _His girlfriend. _He stared up at the ceiling, a memory playing in his head. It seemed like such a long time ago, when in reality, it was only 5 months prior.

***Small flashback***

_Ash and Red are sitting at their breakfast table on the first day of school, and Ash had just finished reading aloud the list of new students. _

_"Hey, maybe those two girls May and Serena Maple are twins, just like you guys! And they're Juniors, just like you guys! Wouldn't it be cool if you both dated them?" said Delia as she handed the brothers their breakfast.  
_

_"Cool, but highly unlikely." replied Ash gloomily._

**"End of flashback***

"Highly unlikely, but possible." muttered Ash.

"Hm?" asked May, who was still hugging Ash.

"Nothing." said Ash with a grin. "Where's Red?"

"Oh..." said May as she got off of Ash. "He's umm... venting."

"Venting?"

* * *

Red grabbed another dart. He aimed it at a dart board that had Kenny's face taped to it. He looked the picture of Kenny in the eye, and threw the dart with all his might. The dart landed right between Kenny's mouth and nose. Red grouchily reached for another dart, but realized that he'd used them all. Enraged, he made his way to the dart board, making sure not to step on any of the pencils he had snapped in blind fury earlier.

But unfortunately, he ended up tripping on a plank of wood he had punched in half. He landed face first on the carpeted floor of his and Ash's bedroom, shaking in aggravation. He slowly stood up and stomped over to a nearby wall. He kicked it. A large crack appeared on the wall. He then stomped to the dart board. He removed all the darts and walked back to where he was standing originally. On his way back he tripped on the plank of wood again.

The plank was promptly thrown out of the window.

* * *

"Yeah, he's a grumpy grouch today." replied May.

"Why? What happened?" asked Ash.

"It's a reeeaaaaaallly long story. Do you really want to hear it?"

"Yeah."

"Fiiiiine. Last night..."

* * *

_The night before..._

After rescuing May from a dirty, insane Kenny, Red dragged Kenny to the police station. He quietly entered the building, pretending as if it was perfectly normal to carry a beat-up, unconscious psychopath over his shoulder. There was a desk in the center of the lobby, where an Officer Jenny sat, organizing some papers. Red walked up to her desk and dropped Kenny on the ground. Officer Jenny looked at Kenny, then at Red, wide eyed.

"Sir, why have you brought a beaten teenager here?" asked Jenny.

Red noticed there was a board nearby with pictures of all the missing people in the town. Kenny's picture was one of them. Red walked over to the board and pointed to Kenny's picture, and then pointed to the real Kenny laying knocked out on the ground.

"Oh, this is the missing boy Kenneth Thompson?" asked Jenny. Red nodded. The officer then examined Kenny's face. "What happened to his face? He's significantly uglier now than he is in the picture. I didn't even recognize him."

Red proudly pointed to his right hand, which was in a fist.

"So you attacked him?"

Red nodded with a prideful grin. But his grin slowly faded when two security guards came and grabbed both of Red's arms. He frantically looked at them both, and then at Officer Jenny. She had a stone cold face on, one without sympathy.

"Young man, you have just admitted to committing Battery, a serious crime in Pallet Town. You are under arrest."

Red's first thought was to get his tablet out and explain that he'd done it to save May, but the guards had both of his arms, preventing him from doing so. Red was led away to a cell. Before the guards put him in his cell, they patted him down, finding his tablet. They took it out from his coat pocket and tossed him in. Red landed face-first into the cold, hard concrete floor.

"People like you make me sick." spat one guard.

"Yeah, you little punk. Beating up a poor, defenseless young man who's been missing for days? That's really fucking low." added the second guard.

"That Kenneth Thompson is twice the man you'll ever be. And it's jerks like you that usually treat girls poorly also. I bet that Kenneth kid treats women with care and respect. If I was a girl, I'd be afraid if I was on a dark street and you were nearby." added the first guard.

"You don't deserve to see the light of day ever again, punk." finished the second guard as they both walked away.

Red stared at the floor, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this to his mother. But then, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. The guards forgot to take his phone. He looked to see if any guards were near, and there were none. He quickly pulled his phone out and looked at the screen.

_1 new message from Serena._

Red opened the message and read it.

_**"Hi. What's up?" -Serena**_

_**"Oh nothing much. Got arrested. In a jail cell. What's up with you?" -Red**_

_**"WHAT?! YOU'RE IN JAIL?!" -Serena**_

_**"Yup. The guards forgot to take my phone. Did May tell you about what happened?" -Red**_

_**"Yeah she told me about how you saved her from Kenny. But why are you in jail?!" -Serena**_

_**"Well, I dragged Kenny's sorry ass to the police station, and they charged me with Battery because I beat the shit out of him. They didn't give me a chance to explain why or what happened. They just tossed me into a jail cell." -Red**_

_**"Oh no! Well May and I are on our way right now to go explain everything. We'll get you out of there!" -Serena**_

_**"Thanks. Love you." -Red**_

_**"I love you more. ;)" -Serena**_

Red closed his phone and sat down on the cold hard bed provided inside the cell. He waited. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally he had gotten fed up with waiting. He pulled out his phone and tried to text Serena to ask her where she was, but he couldn't. His phone died. Angry, he threw his phone at the wall. Immediately after the phone left his hand he realized what he had just done. He watched in horror as his phone collided with the wall, the screen shattering. He slowly stood from the bed and walked across the room. He picked up the shattered remains of his phone. He removed his hat and placed it over his heart, having a moment of silence for the phone. The he realized it meant nothing, as his whole life was one giant moment of silence.

"Hey punk." spoke a guard, startling Red. The guard was opening Red's cell. He then tossed Red his tablet. "You're free to go."

Red slowly stood and walked out of the cell. Immediately, he was hugged by Serena, who has hiding around the corner.

"Because we're minors they're letting you off with a warning." whispered Serena into Red's ear. "We tried to explain why you beat Kenny up, but they think we're lying."

Red shrugged his shoulder and grabbed Serena's hand. They walked hand in hand to the lobby, where May seemed to be having a heated argument with Officer Jenny. Officer Jenny seemed relatively calm, while May looked like her head was about to explode, or worse.

"For the 100 trillionth time, Kenny's the one that stabbed Ash Ketchum!" roared May.

"And for the 100 trillionth time, unless you can prove it, we are not arresting him." answered Officer Jenny with sass.

"You know what?!" growled May. "You're stupid and ugly and dumb and smell like old cheese!"

"May that's enough..." laughed Serena nervously as Red pulled May away.

"Let go of me! I want to enlighten this bitch! Lemme tell her more about herself!" shouted May as Red carried her out the door, Serena walking behind them.

Once the three were a considerable distance away from the police station, Red put May down. All three of them had unhappy looks on their faces. After five or so minutes of silence, Serena finally spoke up.

"What do we do now?" she asked quietly. "The police think Kenny is innocent, and that means he's not going to be arrested. Which means he'll still be on the loose, causing trouble."

"He'll be doing more than just causing trouble..." muttered May. "I don't feel safe with him not behind bars. How are we going to get the police to see that he's a whack-job?"

"I dunno..." mumbled Serena. "We'll talk about this at lunch tomorrow. I'm tired. It's already past 9:00pm. Let's go home May."

"Alright. Goodnight Red." said May as she walked away.

Serena walked to Red and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. She looked at his face and could tell that he was more upset than her and May combined. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't be upset. I know this whole thing will sort itself out. Goodnight, I love you." said Serena. She then jogged away to catch up with May.

Red watched the girls leave. He then walked home, taking Serena's words into account.

...

_The next day..._

By the next morning, Red was in a slightly better mood. He was on his way to school, and he could hear that there was something going on at the school. He didn't really care, so he continued walking at his normal pace. Suddenly, he stopped walking. He glanced at his surroundings, and took a step backwards. He took the step back just in time, because if he stayed where he was a second longer, he would have been tackled by none other than Gary Motherfucking Oak, who was hiding in a tree above.

Red looked up at Gary and smirked. Gary responded with a middle finger. He then hopped down from the tree, skillfully landing on his feet.

"Paul! You can come out now, he's found us." called Gary.

"Dammit." said Paul monotonously as he emerged from his hiding spot, a bush. "How the hell did he spot us?"

"I dunno he's got some some kind of spider-sense shit or something." replied Gary. "So Red, how's Ash doing? He awake yet?"

Red shook his head and resumed his walk to the school. Gary and Paul followed close behind.

"Do you really think Kenny's the one that stabbed him?" asked Paul in his ever-bored tone.

Red nodded as the three approached the school. As soon as the school building was in perfect sight, Red abruptly stopped walking. At first Gary and Paul were confused as to why, but they understood as soon as they looked at the school building. The banner hung on the school no longer said "Home of the Pallet Town Rhyhorns! Kanto's undefeated Soccer and Lacrosse champs!"

Red loved that banner. The fact that he played a tremendous role in putting the banner up there was what made it so special to him. But that banner was gone. It was replaced by a new one. A new one that said, "WELCOME BACK KENNY!"

Gary and Paul gulped. They then looked at Red, and could almost see the anger radiating off his body. Gary could have sworn he almost saw dark purple energy surrounding Red. Red quietly turned around and walked away from the school, his hat casting a shadow over his eyes. Gary tried to go after him, but Paul held him back.

"An angry Red is a dangerous Red." warned Paul.

"Yeah..." said Gary as he turned around. The two continued their walk to school.

A minute or two later, Gary glanced behind him and saw four figures in the distance. It was Serena, May, Max and Red. Serena seemed to be dragging Red towards the school, while May and Max were talking to eachother. Red's eyes were still obscured by the shadow over them. As soon as Serena, May and Max saw the banner on the school, their faces also darkened.

"Let's steer clear of those four today..." said Gary warily. "I don't want to get my head ripped off."

"Good idea." replied Paul as the two walked into the school.

Then-

* * *

"How do you know about the parts you weren't there for?" asked Ash, an eyebrow raised. May had been explaining to him what had happened recently, and Ash was growing more and more skeptic with each sentence. May shifted around in her seat and giggled nervously.

"Well umm-"

"You're making this up aren't you?" asked Ash.

"No. Well um, yes, kind of. Yeah." admitted May. "The part about Red in jail is true, and the part about Red being angry about the banner is true also. All the parts that I was there for are true!"

"You made up everything else?" asked Ash with a laugh.

"It sounded realistic though! Don't deny it."

"Yeah, it did sound pretty realistic. You got Gary's motherfucking personality down perfectly." complimented Ash. "So what_ really _happened?"

"Everything that happened in the prison was true, even Red breaking his phone. And then today, Red saw the banner, and went through the entire school day in a fit of grouchiness and rage. Serena and I weren't too happy either. But though the banner was up, Kenny wasn't in school yet. I guess he's still in the police station. Red skipped lacrosse practice today to go do whatever he's doing right now, and Serena's going to your house to go calm him down before he breaks another valuable item."

"Oh. Well now that I'm awake, I'll think of a way to get him arrested."

"Oh yeah! That makes sense! You're so smart, you'd probably come up with a better plan than any of us!" said May as she leaned in and kissed Ash's cheek. "That's for being smart."

"This is awesome." said Ash to himself as he rubbed the spot where May had kissed. His stomach then grumbled quite loudly. "Damn. I'm hungry."

"Let's go to the cafeteria and get you some food." said May.

Ash tried to get out of his bed, but realized that he couldn't. He still had an I.V. tube attached to him through his wrist. He raised an eyebrow. May watched as Ash simply pulled the tube out of his wrist and got out of bed.

"Don't you need that?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that I.V. was for Parenteral Nutrition. Now that I'm awake, I can just eat, and I'll get the same nutrients." said Ash nonchalantly. He then noticed a breeze in his lower regions. "Oh geez I'm in a hospital gown aren't I?"

"Yeah. So?" asked May.

"It means he's not wearing underwear!" added Haxs from his side of the room. "That must get you so excited!"

"Sh-shut your big ugly face!" replied May. She then turned to Ash. "It's no big deal anyway. Your mom left a change of clothes for you under your pillow."

"Oh. Alright." said Ash. He reached under his pillow and grabbed the clothes his mother had left him. He then glanced at May. "So errr... are you going to leave?"

"Leave...?" said May, confused. She then realized that Ash didn't want her to be in the room while he changed his clothes. She blushed. "Ah. I'll just... face the wall. I promise I won't peek."

_5 minutes later..._

"I should have known you'd peek." muttered Ash as he and May walked through the cafeteria.

"I didn't peek! I dropped a penny, and I had to turn around to pick it up!" replied May defensively. She then grabbed his hand and smiled. "And besides, you're my boyfriend now. I can peek all I want."

* * *

Serena approached the Ketchums' house with caution. It was a well known fact that an angry Red was a dangerous Red. She slowly walked to the front door, making sure to not trip on the various objects that Red had thrown out the window. She pushed the doorbell, and Delia opened the door. Delia seemed fairly calm considering her son was most likely destroying the upper portion of her house.

"Hello Serena. No doubt you're here to speak with Red right?" asked Delia with a smile.

"Yeah, is he okay?"

"That's a difficult question to answer, Serena."

Just then, a loud tumbling sound could be heard getting louder and louder. Delia turned around, and Serena looked over Delia's shoulder. Red had just fallen down the stairs. Delia shrugged her shoulders, while Serena rushed to Red's aid. But by the time Serena had gotten to Red, he had already stood up. He started to glare at the staircase as if it had purposely tripped him. Red pulled a baseball bat out of what seemed like thin air, intending to exact his revenge on the staircase.

"Red, what the hell are you doing?" asked Serena incredulously. "You're about to beat up a STAIRCASE because you fell down it!"

Red looked at Serena as if she was speaking some foreign language. He then started whacking the staircase with the bat. Serena looked at Delia. Delia shrugged her shoulders again.

"What are we going to do? He's so angry he's lost all sense of reason!" said Serena.

"Correction: what are _you _going to do. _I'm_ going grocery shopping, and then I'm going to visit Ash. I'm trusting you to snap Red out of this." said Delia as she put on her jacket.

"What?! You're leaving me with him?!" shrieked Serena.

"Yeah, you're his girlfriend. Cheer him up." said Delia as she walked out the door. "Just keep it clean; I don't want any grandchildren yet!"

"G-grandchildren?!"

"You know what I mean!" laughed Delia as she closed the door.

Serena watched in shock as Delia left. She turned to Red, who was still attacking the staircase with all his might. Luckily, the bat he was using was made of cheap plastic, causing Red to do more damage to the bat than the stairs. Serena walked over to Red and snatched the bat from his hand. Red looked her in the eye. He then snatched the bat from Serena. Serena responded by snatching the bat from Red again. Red snatched it back. This continued for a few minutes until Serena had enough. She snatched the bat from Red again, but this time she followed up the snatch with a swing on Red's head.

She hoped that a nice smash to the head with a plastic bat would knock Red to his senses, but instead he snatched the bat from her hands and threw it out an open window. After that he dashed up the stairs, abandoning Serena.

"This has gone far enough." whispered the honey-blonde angrily.

She stomped up the stairs, growling fiercely. She knocked on the door to Red and Ash's room. Hard. But there was no answer. She then kicked the door open, startling Red. She sprinted towards Red, and as soon as she got close enough, she tackled him onto his bed. He tried to squirm free, but Serena was determined not to let him get away.

"Now you listen here..." she growled as she pinned down Red. Her knees held down his legs, and her hands held down his wrists. "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

That seemed to do the trick, because after that, Red stopped trying to wriggle his way out of her grasp. His hazel eyes glanced at her irritated cyan ones. He then looked away, ashamed of himself. This caused Serena to let her guard down. In that opportunity, Red slid out of her grasp and dashed out of the room. He ran across the hall into the guest room. He planned on locking himself in there so he could be angry in solitude, but Serena was faster than he thought. Before he could close the door she leaped into the room. She once again tackled Red onto the bed, holding him down even tighter than last time.

"That's it, if you don't stop acting like a psychopath, I'm dumping you!" yelled Serena.

Red immediately stopped struggling and looked Serena dead in the eyes.

"Yes, I mean it." she said.

A look of pure fear took over Red's face.

"If I get off of you now, are you going to continue breaking stuff?"

Red quickly shook his head.

"Are you going to listen to what I have to say?"

Red quickly nodded. Serena narrowed her eyes and looked at Red intimidatingly. She sighed and released her grip on Red's wrists.

"Holy guacamole Red, what the heck?" asked Serena as she rolled off of Red, laying beside him on the bed. "I know Kenny's been a real pain in the ass, but you're letting him drive you nuts. I know that he's been annoying, and I know that it hurts knowing that the almost-murderer of Ash is getting a welcoming celebration at school. And I _know_ how much you loved that Soccer and Lacrosse Champions banner. But you have to realize, that gives you no right to go on a goddamn rampage. That's not the Red I'm dating. The Red I'm dating is kind, sweet, caring, gentle, and fun. The Red I've seen today was crazy, evil, vengeful, psychotic and horrifying."

Red sighed. She was right. He sat up and gave her an ashamed, apologetic look.

"Apology accepted." she said. "So, now that I'm here, we should probably clean the mess you made."

Red shook his head stubbornly. Serena opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't, as her lips were suddenly being occupied by Red's. After a few seconds, Serena ended the kiss and smiled.

"Or we can do this." she purred.

From then on, their kisses only became more and more intense. Red's moody state only brought more intensity into it, which Serena thoroughly enjoyed. Before they knew it, their tongues were involved in the kiss, sending it to a completely different level. Serena started out silent, but began to moan more and more as the kisses progressed. It was at that time that Serena was glad Delia had left; It would have been a nightmare if she walked in on them. But since that wasn't a possibility, Serena felt free to do as she pleased. While kissing, Serena removed her hat, tossing it on the ground. Red did the same. After that, it was all a hormone-driven blur.

...

_*Ring! Ring!*_

"Hello?" gasped Serena, picking up the phone.

"Hey Serena." greeted May. "Why are you breathing heavily?"

"No... reason..."

"Wait a minute... you're with Red aren't you? Alone?"

"*breath* Yeah..." answered Serena hesitantly.

"Oh my god."

"No no no, we were just-"

"Just trying to create Red Jr..." mumbled May.

"Shut up." growled Serena. "Why are you calling anyway?"

"Both of you are needed at the hospital. It's important. It's about Ash."

"What happened?" asked Serena, concerned.

"It's better if I just tell it to you in person." said May cryptically. "Bye."

May hung up the phone. Serena put her phone down and glanced at Red. He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Something's going on with Ash at the hospital." she explained. "May says we should meet her there."

Red nodded and got out of the bed, picking up his jacket and hat off the floor. Contrary to May's belief, Serena and Red were not making love to eachother. Red was still in gray jeans and a black tee shirt, and Serena had only removed her hat. They had spent the last half hour making out intensely, both of their hands snaking their ways to places they'd never touched before. That was the furthest they went. Though if May hadn't called, there was no telling how far their teenage hormones would have driven them. Serena sighed and put on her hat.

She couldn't deny it; she secretly wanted to do more.

* * *

Red and Serena rushed to the hospital, where they found Delia and May waiting for them. May was standing in front of the entrance, stopping Delia from entering. Delia's arms were crossed, and her foot was tapping impatiently.

"What happened?" asked Serena as soon as she and Red arrived.

"Yes May, I too would like to know what happened. Why won't you let me into the hospital?" asked Delia, slightly annoyed.

"Well... now that everyone's here... see for yourselves..." said May quietly, stepping aside.

Delia, Serena, and Red rushed inside the hospital, eager to hear what happened to Ash. They were not prepared to find Ash standing in front of them, with a big, goofy grin on his face.

"ASH!" shouted both Serena and Delia, both running in for hugs.

Ash simply stood, waiting for them to come to him. At first Serena and Delia were struggling against eachother for the hug, but it ended up becoming a group hug between Ash, Serena, and Delia, with Ash in the center.

"Thank heavens, my baby is awake!" cried Delia as she and Serena removed themselves from Ash.

"Hi mom." said Ash. He then turned to Serena. "Hey Serena. Thanks for keeping Red sane in my absence."

"Trust me, it wasn't easy." said Serena. She then hugged Ash again. "It's good to have you back, brainiac."

"It's good to be back." said Ash, hugging Serena back.

From across the room, Ash could see Red watching, straight faced. Ash ended his hug with Serena and strode over to Red. Once Ash got to his brother, he smiled. Red crossed his arms and looked away, pretending he didn't care. Ash stood and waited. Red's act slowly crumbled, and soon enough, he was smiling too. At the exact same time, they both punched eachother in the arm; their way of showing affection to eachother. Though it was a short exchange, it seemed like so much more to both of them. It meant that they were best friends. It meant that they were brothers. Suddenly, May entered the lobby, laughing evilly.

"Ha! By the way I acted, you all thought that something bad happened to Ash!" laughed May. "I am so evil!"

"Congratulations." replied Serena sarcastically.

"You're just angry because I called while you and Red were-"

"Eating toast!" interrupted Serena. She glanced at Red, and Red quickly nodded, wide eyed. "You called while Red and I were eating toast."

"Yeah. Eating toast. I always breathe heavily when toasting bread. It's such a tiresome activity." muttered May with a devilish smirk. "Come on everyone, let's all go back up to Ash's room. Nurse Joy has to talk to all of us."

Everybody walked towards the elevator, with May and Ash in the back. But halfway there, Ash poked May and whispered something in her ear. She nodded. The couple walked in front of the rest of the group, gaining their attention. They both stopped walking, both smiling. May had a genuinely happy grin on her face, while Ash had a nervous half-smile. May softly nudged Ash with her elbow, and he cleared his throat.

"*ahem* So, um, I have something to tell you all." said Ash.

"What dear?" asked Delia. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I... just want to say t-that...W-well I'm kinda... well... y-you see..." stuttered Ash. For some reason, his nerves seemed to be getting the best of him. "M-May and I...Oh fuck it!"

Delia, Serena, and Red's eyes widened as Ash pulled May into a romantic kiss, which May gladly returned. The kiss lasted for 10 seconds, long enough to get the point across. But just to be sure, after the kiss, May and Ash held hands and faced everyone.

"We're dating!" said May.

"Well it's about time." said Serena rather nonchalantly. Ash and May frowned.

"Yeah, this isn't much of a surprise. And did I just hear the F-word come from your mouth young man?" added Delia. Red gave the new couple a lackluster thumbs up.

"Oh..." replied Ash and May at the same time.

"We're just kidding! Congrats guys!" said Serena cheerfully. Red grinned.

"My little Ash has a girlfriend now!" gushed Delia. "I'm so proud of you. I wish I could celebrate more, but I have to drop off the groceries at home. I'll be back in 30 minutes!"

Delia walked out of the hospital, leaving only Red, Serena, May and Ash in the lobby. They all walked towards the elevator, each couple holding hands. But unknown to them, someone had been watching the whole scene for the past 15 minutes.

"DAMN ASHY-BOY!" bellowed a voice from the other side of the lobby.

"No... it can't be..." said Ash as he turned around. But it was. "Gary Motherfucking Oak?!"

"The one and only!" said Gary as he rushed over in a white uniform. "Ashy-Boy's got a lady friend now!"

"Yeah... but what are you doing here of all places?" asked Ash.

"I work here. I run the snack bar." said Gary proudly.

"So shouldn't you be working right now?" asked Serena, pointing to the long line of people waiting at the snack bar. "What if your boss fires you?"

"I'm Gary Motherfucking Oak. I do what I want, when I want. My boss can't bring me down." said Gary rebelliously.

Just then, a loud, angry voice could be heard from the snack bar. It familiar to everyone also. Everyone looked, and saw a pretty girl with blue hair looking at them, enraged. She had a little badge on her white shirt showing that she was the manager of the snack bar. Dawn was Gary's boss.

"GARY! GET BACK HERE. NOW." roared Dawn. She then saw who Gary was talking to, and calmed down. She grabbed a bunch of snacks off the shelf and threw them at the customers. She then closed the snack bar. The customers began to protest. Dawn giggled nervously. "Sorry but we're closed temporarily!"

The blunette emerged from the snack bar and rushed towards the rest of the teens, a big smile on her face. Though May, Gary and Serena didn't seem to have a problem with her approaching, Ash did. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. Dawn was the last girl Ash had a crush on. And obviously, it didn't end well. The friendship they had disintegrated shortly after his rejection. Red seemed to notice the discomfort on Ash's face and decided to slap him in the back of the head. Somehow no one saw it. Ash looked at Red in annoyance. He then nodded. Ash knew what the slap was for. It was telling him that he didn't need to be awkward around Dawn, because he had May, who was better.

"Ash! You're okay!" said Dawn. "I was so worried about you!"

"You were?" asked Ash in genuine confusion. "That's a surprise."

Dawn pouted. "How is that a surprise? Because we don't talk any more?"

"Yeah."

"That's your fault." said Dawn with sass.

"How is that _his_ fault?" asked May defensively.

"Well _I_ wanted to continue being friends with Ash, but after he learned I didn't like him romantically, he started avoiding me as if I was a plague." explained Dawn. "I know it's rare, but I was serious when I said 'We should still be friends.'"

"That sounds like something Ashy-boy would do." added Gary.

"But anyway, how about the six of us have a triple date? Doesn't that sound fun?" asked Dawn.

Gary, Serena, May and Ash all answered at the same time, all of them saying different things.

"Sure." said Serena. "Not really." said Ash. "Meh." said May. "I'm hungry." said Gary. Red shrugged his shoulders.

Dawn clapped her hands together cheerfully. Everyone raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't understand what any of you just said, but I'm going to guess that you all said 'Yes'! So, meet me at the sushi restaurant down the street tomorrow at 4! Don't be late!" said Dawn. She then turned to Gary, and looked him in the eye darkly. "Especially you Gary. Do _not _be late. Got it?"

"G-got it." replied Gary timidly.

"Awesome!" cheered Dawn as she skipped back to the snack bar.

"She's crazy." deduced Serena after a few seconds of silence.

"I know. It's sexy as fuck." said Gary as he walked back to the snack bar. "Seeya tomorrow guys. Gary Motherfucking Oak, OUT!"

"...Let's just go to my room." said Ash.

Everyone nodded and walked into the elevator. The hospital was an old one, and it's elevator was no exception. It was moving painfully slow, and it didn't help that Ash's room was on the 10th floor of the building. May's patience was quickly disintegrating. It felt like they'd been in the elevator for hours. She glanced up at the digital monitor to see what floor they were on. They were only on the 3rd floor. She tried to think of things to do to entertain herself, but she was coming up blank. But then, she had a brain-blast. The perfect idea came into mind.

"Hey Serena..." cooed May mischievously. "I bet Ash and I are better kissers than you and Red are. We should have a kissing competition to prove it."

Red smiled, liking the idea, but Ash and Serena didn't.

"Wha?" asked Ash.

"I'm not having a kissing competition in an elevator. What the heck is a kissing competition anyway?" said Serena.

"Well, I kiss Ash, and you kiss Red. Whichever team has the spiciest kiss wins." explained May. She glanced at the monitor. They were on the 6th floor. Time was running out. "Ready, set, go!"

May pulled Ash into a kiss before he had time to object. Serena rolled her eyes.

"This is so stupid. Who would actually have a kissing competition?" asked Serena. She then glanced at Red, who was smirking at her. Her eyes widened. "Red Ketchum, don't you dare-"

Red kissed Serena, cutting her off. But the kiss didn't last very long. A loud _ping _sound echoed in the elevator, signifying that they had reached the 10th floor. But both couples didn't stop. All four teens had fully immersed themselves in the tempestuous world of kissing. They only stopped when they heard someone clear their throat loudly. All four teens stopped their kissing to look at the source of the sound.

"I'm not even going to ask what in bloody hell is going on here." said Haxs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was no longer in a hospital gown. he was in normal clothing. "Just get out of the damned elevator."

"You're leaving?" asked Ash as he, May, Serena and Red stepped out of the elevator.

"Yeah, the doctor says I'm all better. Goodbye Ash, I wish you all the worst in life." said Haxs.

Ash reached his hand out for a handshake, but in response, Haxs pressed the 'Close Door' button on the elevator, closing the door. The elevator door slowly closed, giving Haxs enough time to flip both his middle-fingers at May. May growled. Ash and Red had to hold her back, because if they didn't, she surely would have ripped the elevator door open and burned Haxs alive.

"Thank goodness he's gone. I don't think I've ever had a patient so evil." spoke Nurse Joy from behind the teens. "Coincidentally, you're leaving too Ash."

"I am?" asked Ash in surprise. "Is that what you want to tell me?"

"Yes. You have to spend tonight here, but you can go home tomorrow." said Nurse Joy with a smile. She turned around to leave, but turned back to the teenagers. "Oh, I almost forgot! I've brought something for you."

"What did you bring?" asked Ash.

"I'll go get it right now." said Nurse Joy as she walked away. A few second later, she came back with a small cage. It was surrounded by an opaque plastic covering, hiding what was inside. But Ash already knew what was in it. Nurse Joy opened the cage, and a familiar yellow rodent scurried out.

"Pika pika!" yelled Pikachu as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"It's good to see that you're okay, buddy." said Ash as he scratched the area behind Pikachu's ears.

"Chaaaa..." sighed Pikachu happily.

With Ash and Pikachu safe and recovered, the group of friends' minds turned to the last major problem in their lives. Kenny. Nobody knew, but as they all approached Ash's hospital room, it was on all of their minds. They were all in good moods, not wanting to ruin the fun by mentioning the psychopath, but it had to be done eventually. Finally, after a couple of minutes of small talk in Ash's hospital room, Serena decided it was time.

"Okay guys, It's great that Ash and Pikachu are back and all, but we still have one more problem to take care of." she said, looking around.

Red's eyes narrowed as he exhaled rather roughly. Ash nodded slowly, his demeanor changing from happy to serious in an instant. May blinked twice confusedly. She wasn't paying attention to what Serena said at all. But she knew it had to be something important, because everyone had serious faces on. She decided to put on her best pout, successfully blending in.

"I'll take care of it." said Ash, breaking the silence that was born after Serena's statement.

"What do you mean by 'take care of it'?" asked May.

"Well, I'm going to go to his house, and record him saying that he stabbed me." explained Ash.

"Well," started Serena, mimicking the tone Ash started his last sentence with. "that's a horrible idea."

"How?" asked Ash.

"He'll just stab you again!" said Serena.

"Well, who else can go?" asked Ash, in a level-headed tone, contrary to Serena's raised voice. "Red can't, because he's probably just going to beat the shit out of him. Again."

Red nodded, completely agreeing with Ash's statement.

"May can't," continued Ash. "because frankly, I don't want him within a 2 mile radius of her. And Serena, he'll know what you're there for if you go. The only usable choice is me. Given the fact that he absolutely despises my existence, he'll probably be so angry that he'll say some kind of insult relating to the stabbing. And he'll probably indirectly admit he's the culprit in the process."

"Fine. But you're not alone. I'm going with you." sighed Serena.

"I didn't plan on going alone anyway. I need one person to hide and record the whole thing, and I need another person to knock Kenny out in case he tries to get physical with me."

"I guess I'll be the person to record it." volunteered Serena.

Red immediately raised his hand. Ash snorted.

"No Red, you cannot be the one to knock him out." said Ash, slightly amused. "You'd probably end up killing him."

Red folded his arms and looked away.

"So who's going to knock him out?" asked Serena.

Ash stared off into the distance, thinking. "I think I know who..."

* * *

"Come on Serperior, get up." ordered Trip. He was training with his Serperior. Ever since his loss to Ash and Pikachu on Battle Day all those months ago, he'd been training with Serperior whenever he had the time. Once he felt Serperior was ready, he'd challenge Ash to a rematch, which he planned on winning. He knelt beside his serpent-like pokemon and patted its head. "You have to work harder. It's the only way we'll win our rematch against Ash and Pikachu."

Suddenly Trip's cell phone began to vibrate. He looked at the Caller ID. Ash Ketchum.

"Speak of the devil..." muttered Trip as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Trip." said Ash.

"Hi. You sound well." answered Trip.

"Yeah, I just woke up a couple hours ago."

"That's nice. Why exactly are you calling me? We're not exactly friends."

"I know that." replied Ash. "But I need your help on something. It has to do with Kenny."

Trip's eyes narrowed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball. He touched the ball to Serperior, returning Serperior to its ball. "I'm listening..."

"Right now, Kenny is in the police station, right?" asked Ash.

"No." answered Trip. "They already released him back to his house an hour ago. Just saw it on the local news."

"Perfect. Tomorrow, Serena and I are going to have a word with him. I need your help."

Trip nodded is head slowly as Ash explained the plan to him. It sounded like a good plan, but it also sounded like a risky one. But then again, it seemed like the only plan that would work. "Okay, I'll do it."

"Thanks Trip. Bye-"

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"When this is all over, I want a rematch. My Serperior against your Pikachu." said Trip in a steely, calm voice.

"I'm looking forward to it." said Ash competitively.

Trip hung up the phone and shoved his phone into his pocket. He looked up at the sky, sighed, and made his way back to his house.

* * *

_The next day..._

"Ash, are you sure about this?" asked May worriedly.

"100%." replied Ash as he folded the sheets of his hospital bed.

"I just got a text from Trip. He's waiting for us downstairs." said Serena.

"Okay." said Ash as he put on his hat. "Let's go."

May stood from her seat and hugged Ash tightly. Though it was a normal hug, it was so tight Ash was having difficulty breathing anyway.

"Please, _please _be careful." she said. "I love you."

"I... *gasp* love you... *sputter* more." wheezed Ash.

Serena watched the romantic scene awkwardly. Red was at Lacrosse practice, effectively making her the third-wheel at the moment. After the hug, Ash and May spent another 5 minutes saying goodbyes as if Ash was about to move to a whole different country or something. Serena simply watched, not knowing what to do with herself. Then, her phone vibrated. Another text from Trip.

"Ash, Trip is getting tired of waiting." said Serena hesitantly. She didn't want to be the one to ruin the moment, but it was true. Trip was losing his patience.

"Alright, alright." said Ash. He then gave May a quick peck on the lips. "Bye May. I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Promise?" asked May softly.

"Promise." said Ash, turning his hat backwards. That meant that he was telling the truth.

"Okay..." said May, understanding that the turning of Ash's hat backwards always meant that shit had just gotten real and there was nothing to worry about.

She watched as Ash and Serena walked out of the door. As he walked out of the door, Ash looked back and grinned at May. She smiled back. And then he left. May sat for a few seconds, thinking of what to do. She pulled her Gameboy out of her bag and began to play.

...

Ash and Serena were in the elevator, waiting for it to get to the 1st floor in silence. Suddenly, Ash groaned, gaining Serena's attention.

"Ugh, dammit!" swore Ash frustratedly.

"What happened?" asked Serena.

"I forgot to take a picture of May and I's first kiss..." grumbled Ash. "Now how am I gonna complete her Christmas gift?"

"I dunno. Take a picture of your first-born child instead." joked Serena.

"I didn't know someone as _sophisticated _as you could have a sense of humor." insulted Ash, not enjoying Serena's joke.

"Oh shut up."

"You know what? You just earned yourself another bottle of nail polish for Christmas this year." said Ash darkly.

"And _you_ just won another deck of cards." retorted Serena.

The two glared at eachother intensely. But before they could enter what surely would have been a war of words, the elevator door opened. The two teens looked at eachother and nodded, both silently agreeing to drop the argument. They knew that they were about to do something important, and they needed to focus. From across the lobby they could see Trip waiting for them, his teal camera in hand. They walked over to him.

"You guys ready?" asked Trip.

Ash and Serena nodded, and the three walked out of the hospital.

* * *

_Knock! Knock!_

"Oh Kennethhhhh!" sang Mrs. Thompson, Kenny's mother, annoyingly.

"Yeah?!" barked Kenny from his room.

"Someone's at the door, could you open it?"

"Fiiiiiine." groaned Kenny as he trudged his way down the stairs.

Needless to say, Kenny was in a great mood. He had gotten away with stabbing Ash, and he received a banner welcoming him back to school. But even though he was in a good mood, he still wasn't 100% happy. He still did not have what he wanted: May. He thought about this as he opened his front door, finding Ash at his doorstep. The raven-haired teen had a straight face on, and his hands were at his sides. Kenny growled at the sight of Ash. He was still alive.

"Hi there, Kenny." said Ash in fake friendliness. "Wanna go on a walk with me?"

Kenny's fists clenched.

"You weren't supposed to survive." spat Kenny.

"Yeah I know. 4 stabs, huh. It's a real miracle. Y'know, according to May," said Ash innocently, putting emphasis on her name, "I only had a 20% chance of survival. Come on, if you go on a walk with me, I'll explain the whole thing."

"Sure thing." said Kenny through gritted teeth. He then turned his head slightly towards his house, his eyes still on Ash. "Mom! I'm going on a walk. I'll be back soon."

"Have fun!" sang Mrs. Thompson.

Ash motioned for Kenny to lead the way, and the brown-haired teen did. As they walked down the street, Ash glanced behind himself. From a few feet away, Serena and Trip were following, keeping themselves hidden. He sighed and turned his attention to Kenny, who had just stopped walking.

"Alright Ketchum, what do you want?" growled Kenny.

"Nothing much." spat Ash back, dropping the whole friendly persona he was using earlier. "I just have some things to tell you."

"Like what?" asked Kenny.

"May's my girlfriend now." said Ash with a smirk.

Kenny's eyes widened. His face turned red with rage as he grabbed Ash by the shirt, slamming him into a nearby tree. From the corner of his eye, Ash could see Trip slowly rise from his hiding spot. Very covertly, Ash motioned for Trip to stay in his hiding spot.

"You fucking punk," started Kenny in a terrifyingly calm voice, "I'm going to fucking kill you."

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend now." said Ash, ignoring Kenny's threat. "We kiss, hug, hold hands-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Oh man, we made out for like, 45 minutes today. My lips are still kinda sore." provoked Ash with a straight face, looking Kenny dead in the eye. "And that body of hers? Ho boy, it's like a damn race car track. Curvy as fu-"

"STOP IT." snapped Kenny.

"I'm really thanking whoever stabbed me. I think she loves me even more now that I almost died!"

"DON'T THANK ME, BECAUSE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR REAL THIS TIME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" roared Kenny.

"Huh?" asked Ash in fake shock. "You were the one that stabbed me?"

"WHO THE FUCK ELSE WOULD IT BE?!" roared Kenny. "YEAH I STABBED YOU, AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN TOO. NEXT TIME, I'LL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER BREATHE AGAIN!"

"Thanks Kenny, that was all I needed to hear." said Ash as he waived his hand in the air. Serena emerged from a nearby bush with a smile on her face, camera in hand. Kenny's eyes widened. Ash smirked. "Smile for the camera, asshole."

"Gaahhhh!" roared Kenny as he let go of Ash's shirt and dashed for Serena.

But before he could reach her, Trip leaped out of another bush nearby and tackled Kenny to the ground. Trip quickly punched Kenny, and that was all it took. He was unconscious.

"Whew, that went well." said Ash. "How much did you record?"

"All of it." replied Serena. She then handed the camera back to Trip, who had Kenny hanging over his shoulder. Serena pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. 3:44pm. She gasped.

"What?" asked Ash.

"Our triple date with Dawn and Gary is in 16 minutes!" shrieked Serena. "And we still have to turn Kenny in and show the evidence to the police!"

"And being late isn't an option. Dawn is bat-shit insane when it comes to stuff like that." panicked Ash. "I'm scared! What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry. I'll take him to the police station." said Trip calmly. "Go enjoy your triple date."

"Thanks Trip! Come on Ash! We have to go get Red from the school and May from the hospital!" said Serena as she jogged away.

Ash nodded his head, but before leaving, he turned to Trip.

"Thanks Trip. I look forward to our rematch." said Ash with a smile, his hand outstretched.

"Oh really? You look forward to losing?" asked Trip with a smirk. He grabbed Ash's hand.

"No, I look forward to a tough battle." corrected Ash as he shook hands with Trip.

"Ash!" screamed Serena. "12 minutes!"

"Oh shit!" swore Ash as he ran after Serena, leaving Trip.

Trip watched the two run away. He closed his eyes, snorted, and walked towards the police station.

* * *

"Oh god! It's 4:02!" cried Serena.

"Uh oh." said Ash.

"We're going to die!" added May.

Red shrugged his shoulders.

The four made their way towards the sushi restaurant that Dawn had told them. The restaurant was in their sights, but that wasn't all. There were also two people waiting outside. The brown-haired guy with a look of horror on his face, and a blue haired girl that looked like a pure manifestation of rage. Gary could be seen mouthing the words "RUN AWAY." repeatedly.

"This is going to be a nightmare." muttered Ash as they approached the sushi restaurant.

"Right when we finally get rid of one psychopath..." started Serena.

"We are rewarded with another..." finished May.

"YOU GUYS ARE TWO MINUTES LATE! UNACCEPTABLE!" roared Dawn. "TWO WHOLE FUCKING MINUTES! NOT ONE, BUT TWO! EXPLAIN YOURSELVES BEFORE I ERASE YOU FROM EXISTENCE!"

Ash, Red, Serena and May looked at eachother, then at Dawn. As if on cue, they all sprinted away, leaving Dawn and Gary in the dust. At first, Dawn ran after them, but eventually she gave up. She slowly walked back to the sushi restaurant, where Gary Motherfucking Oak was waiting for her.

"Did you catch them?" asked Gary.

"No..." said Dawn sadly. "Do you think I was too hard on them?"

"Not at all." answered Gary. "You're hot when you're mad anyway."

"That's a lie." said Dawn with a smile.

"Gary Motherfucking Oak tells no lies." said Gary as he put an arm around Dawn, leading her into the sushi restaurant. "Now, let's eat some sushi."

* * *

"Think we lost her?" asked Serena.

"Yeah." answered May.

The four teens stopped running, all of them except Red out of breath. They looked at their surroundings, and realized that they had run to the hilly, rural outskirts of Pallet Town. They all walked onto the top of the closest hill and sat.

"So..." said Ash. "What now?"

"Hm?" asked May.

"Kenny's been taken care of, and Dawn has chased us out of town." explained Ash. "What do we do now?"

"Let's just sit here. We can talk, watch the clouds, and do whatever we want." answered Serena. "Hey, that cloud up there looks like a Geodude!"

"Yeah, kinda." said May.

"Looks more like a Graveler to me." said Ash.

Red just nodded, not specifying who he was agreeing with. The teens laid down on the soft grass, watching the clouds. Both of the couples were hand in hand, enjoying the beautiful winter sky. It was an unusually warm day for winter. Not hot, but not cold either. It was the perfect weather. One by one, they all fell asleep, softly snoring. After an hour of sleep, Ash woke up to find May's hand intertwined with his own. She was still asleep. He smiled, and saw that he wasn't the only one awake. Red was sitting up, watching the sunset. He too was holding his girlfriend's hand. And just like May, Serena was asleep. Ash sat up.

"I still can't believe it." said Ash as he gazed at the setting sun.

Red jumped a little, unaware of Ash's consciousness. He turned to Ash and tilted his head.

"I still can't believe that it all worked out okay."

Red smiled.

"I mean, usually it ends up with me alone, and you with a girlfriend that you don't even like. And now, it's the exact opposite, for both of us."

Red nodded.

"And... it was worth all the trouble. It was worth the fights, the chases, the stabbings, all of it."

Red nodded again.

"Put it here bro, victory is ours." said Ash, sticking his fist out.

Red grinned and bumped fists with Ash. Through all the struggle, they had both gained what they had wanted all along; true love. As corny as it sounds, it was the only thing missing in their lives. And through the struggles, they had kept one of the most important things to them in tact as well.

Their brotherhood.

* * *

**There's one more chapter. The next chapter is the final one. I guess the next one could be called the Epilogue, but it'll be the length of a normal chapter. Now, I don't usually do this, but I have to this time. I'm asking you guys to review. Please. I really don't know how I feel about the flow of this chapter. Please give your honest opinions.  
**

**As for what will happen after this story is complete?**

**I will be accepting requests for one-shots based off this story. Lemons are allowed. If two requests are similar, then I'll probably just end up mashing them into one. And please, don't be upset if I reject a request. I'll try to give a thorough explanation for each request I deny. So, feel free to PM me your requests and I'll get back to you when I can. DO NOT TELL ME YOUR REQUEST IN A REVIEW. All the one-shots will be posted as chapters on this story, not separate fics.  
**

**Adios!**

**~DarkSlash9**


	11. Balls

**Hey all! So if you didn't know, I'm an American. What any readers that aren't American know as football, I know as soccer. So I'll be calling it that in this chapter. Just thought I'd give people a heads up, to avoid confusion. Now, yes, this is the final chapter. But does it have anything to do with the storyline? Nope. I wanted this chapter to be a funny, yet intense ending, that has nothing to do with the plot of the story. So what is this chapter about? Red's Championship soccer game. Sorry if some of you were hoping for something else. I might have gotten a little carried away with the humor at some points of this chapter, but hey, nobody's perfect.  
**

**EVEN IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO READ THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END.**

**I wanted to write more about Red's sports career in the actual story, but couldn't really fit it in anywhere. So I decided 'hmm, why not?' and wrote a chapter on it. Though I called this chapter an epilogue, it's really not. After writing it, I now see it as the start of the one-shots, since depending on the way you look at it, it could be a one-shot. Anyway, here's the Q&amp;A.**

Guest

I have no Idea if you can read this but this chapter was amazing my favourite by far. BTW whos Haxs?

**Answer: Haxs is my OC.**

TheWistfulBreeze

I noticed that at the top of the page you mentioned the british guys name was Haxs before actually telling us in the story, intentional or accident?

**Answer: Accident.**

TheBlackCharizard

Is this story gonna be posted as complete or incomplete when you start posting one shots.

**Answer: Eh, I guess incomplete.**

Fatmuffin  
Will the one shot suggestions after the end of the story need to be chronological or just anywhere during their lives?

**Answer: Anywhere during their lives.**

**Okay, everyone enjoy chapter 11!**

* * *

**Chapter 11  
**

Games

* * *

The crowds cheered loudly, the stadium filled to the brim. Two teams walked from the locker rooms to center field, both determined to win this game, as a win would grant them the esteemed title of Regional Champions. One team was wearing black uniforms, with dark purple letters and numbers on their jerseys and shorts. They were the Lavender Town Haunters, led by a tall, intimidating teen by the name of Hilbert Black.

Approaching the Haunters from the other side of the field was a team of boys in light gray uniforms, with red numbers on their jerseys and shorts. They were the Pallet Town Rhyhorns, led by none other than Red Ketchum, their captain. From across the field, Red shot a murderous glare at Hilbert, who returned said glare with a dark, snobby smirk.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to The Kanto Region Boys Soccer Regional Championship Match! I'm Jim Johnson, and this is my partner, Tim Thompson. Together, we'll be giving commentary for today's match, which is sure to be a historic one!"

* * *

"May! Get over here, the match is starting!" hollered Serena from her hotel room bed.

6 months had passed since Ash's release from the hospital. Not much had changed since then. Serena and May's birthday had passed, both of them turning 17. This gave birth to many jokes from Dawn, as May and Serena were a few months older than Ash and Red, who were still 16. Kenny had been taken care of, and the last 6 months had been peaceful ones full of fun, love, and happiness. It was late June, and the school year had already ended. But as expected, Red had led his soccer team to yet another championship match, this being their third year in a row. Though Serena and May's relationships with the Ketchum brothers were still going as strong as ever, the girls could not attend the match in person. They had gone on a vacation to the Unova Region with their family, but they promised they'd watch the match on television, and that was exactly what they were doing. Or rather, that was exactly what Serena was doing.

The now 17 year-old teen sat in her and May's hotel room, on her bed. Max and their parents had gone out to explore some of the famed Unovan restaurants, leaving the girls to themselves. Serena had turned the TV on a while ago, not wanting to miss a single bit of her beloved boyfriend's soccer game. It meant the world to him, which meant that by default, it meant the world to her as well. But this game was more than just winning for Red. 3 months prior, Red had led Pallet Town's Lacrosse Team to Regional Championships, just as he did the two years before. But they lost. By a large margin. The loss crushed Red, sending him into a small depression that Serena had to bring him out of. Serena hated seeing Red so defeated, and she never wanted to see him like that again.

On the TV, the teams had already lined up in center field. The game was going to start any minute, and May was still nowhere to be seen.

"MAY! THEY'RE STARTING!" roared Serena. Her appearance had not changed at all in the past 6 months.

"Shut up already, Banshee! I'll be out in a few minutes, I'm still talking to Ash!" yelled May, her head sticking out from the bathroom door. Her hair was slightly longer than it was 6 months earlier, and it curled a little on the ends. She had her cell phone in her hands. "Hello? Ash? You still there? Alright, the game is about to start, so I have to get off the phone. I've already said this, but you're just letting your nerves get to you. I doubt you'll have to actually go out there. Just keep calm, and think of me, your beautiful, sexy, wonderfultastic girlfriend if you get nervous. Bye, I love you!"

May hung up the phone. A few minutes later, she slowly emerged from the bathroom. Serena rolled her eyes. from the neck down, May was dressed in a detailed realistic Rhyhorn costume. She waddled towards her bed and sat in it, a silly grin on her face. Serena decided not to ask where she got the suit from, or how she even fit it in her suitcase. May looked at the screen, and saw the two teams lined up, the captains on the ends of each line. She laughed.

"Wow, Red is really giving the captain of the other team a death stare." giggled May. Serena looked at the screen, her eyes narrowing.

"That's because that jerk deserves to die." muttered Serena darkly.

"O.O'...And um, why does he deserve Death's cold embrace?" asked May, slightly afraid of Serena.

"Listen to the TV. The guys doing commentary are about to explain it." said Serena.

Both girls listened in.

* * *

"I'll tell ya Jim, this match is going to be one for the goddamn history books!" spoke Tim.

"Y'know, I agree 101% Tim." said Jim. "I can tell that a fierce rivalry is going to be born from this match. Why, there's already one brewing between their captains. On one side we have Rhyhorn #17, Captain Redwood Ketchum, a familiar face in high school sports. We all know of the feats he's accomplished, leading both his Soccer and Lacrosse Teams to Regional Championships 3 years in a row. Of course, this has earned him quite the assortment of scholarships. But believe it or not, in just these past six months, he's already lost 2 of his Soccer scholarships. And the reason? #4, Hilbert Black, the Captain of the Lavender Town Haunters!"

"I know what you mean Jim. Both the University of Cerulean City and Saffron College have dropped their scholarships with Red, in favor of Hilbert, who is new to the high school sports scene. This is his first season playing Soccer, and he's already made himself a motherfucking household name. He's scored an astounding 27 goals in this season, while Redwood Ketchum has only scored 25 this season."

"Yes. This game clearly means a lot to both teams, but for their captains, it's to decide who's truly Kanto's number one high school soccer player. I'm expecting both these young men to go all out today." said Jim.

"Rightfully so, Jim." agreed Tim. "Rightfully so. And even without the rivalries, this will still be a freaking outstanding game. Unfortunately for the Rhyhorns, this will not be an easy win like the last two championships were. The Haunters have always been a decent team, but this season, they've brought their A-game. I have a feeling this match will be decided by luck, not skill."

Down on the field, both teams huddled up. While the Haunters were having somekind of final, last-minute strategy talk, the Rhyhorns were doing something else.

"Alright boys, this is it." said Gary seriously. "This is fucking _it!_ WE GO HOME TODAY AS THREE-TIME CHAMPIONS. NOTHING, AND I MEAN _NOTHING, _LESS! LET'S KICK SOME HAUNTED ASS!"

Red placed his hand in the center of the huddle, and soon, the rest of the team did as well.

"One!" shouted Gary.

"HURRAH!" roared the rest of the team as if they were feral beasts.

"Two!"

"HURRAH HAH!"

"Three!"

"HURRAH HAH HAH!"

"Gimme one more! Four!"

"HURRAH RAH HA HAH!"

"Who's ball?!" yelled Gary.

"OUR BALL!" replied the team.

"Who's game?!"

"OUR GAME!"

"Rhyhorns on three! 1, 2, 3-"

"RHYHORRRRRNS!" shouted the team as their huddle dispersed.

With their pre-game chant over, Red and his team made their way to their spots on the field, ready to start the game. The Haunters were already in their positions, all of them staring down the Rhyhorns menacingly.

"Alright, it looks like the players are getting into their positions on the field! Here we go, ladies and gentlemen! The Pallet Town Rhyhorns against the Lavender Town Haunters! If the Rhyhorns win, this will be their third championship win in a row! If the Haunters win, this will be their town's first championship win, ever! Either way, history is being made!"

The referee in the center of the field blew his whistle, and the game began.

* * *

"DESTROY THEM GUYS!" roared Serena. "TEACH THAT LOSER HILBERT BLACK A LESSON!"

"Holy crap, look!" said May, nodding towards the screen. She would have pointed, but her Rhyhorn outfit restricted her arm movement.

Serena looked at the screen, her eyes wide. Red had the ball, and he was sprinting towards the Haunters' goal. All the Haunters' defenders were behind Red, trying to catch up with him. But Red was too fast. Red approached the goal, with only the goalkeeper there to provide any defense. Serena's jaw dropped as Red launched the ball towards the net with a mighty kick. The Haunters' goalkeeper, Brendan Yuki, dove for it, but there was nothing he could do. Like a bullet, the ball whizzed into the corner of the goal, just out of Brendan's reach. Serena gasped.

"OH MY GOSH. DID HE JUST-"

"Yes." said May. "He just scored a goal. Already."

* * *

"PINCH ME JIM, BECAUSE I MUST BE DREAMING! OW! I didn't seriously want you to pinch me, dick."

"Sorry Tim, but I had to, because you're not dreaming! Redwood Ketchum has just scored a goal... In the first ELEVEN SECONDS of the game! What a way to start things off!"

The camera switched to Red, who simply strutted away after his goal, in the same manner that cool guys in action films walk away from fiery explosions. The crowd erupted in cheers, and as Red strutted across the field, he was swarmed by 9 other teenage boys in gray and red jerseys, led by Gary. Scattered across the field, the Lavender Town Haunters were either wearing scowls of hatred, or staring at Red in awe. Hilbert Black, however, simply snorted, as if it were no big deal. Through the small crowd of his teammates, Red locked eyes with Hilbert. Both their eyes narrowed, their hatred for each other showing in their gazes.

With the celebrations over, the game continued. Brendan picked up the ball and kicked it across the field, into the possession of one of his teammates. The scoreboard changed to 1-0, Rhyhorns in the lead.

* * *

Suddenly, an odd song was heard in the hotel room.

_"I wanna be, the very best, like no one ever waaaass... To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause..."_

_"_Who the heck is calling you at such an important time?" asked Serena. "And why is that your ringtone?"

"The song reminds me of Ash." said May as she tried to pick up her phone, but her Rhyhorn costume restricted all upper-body movement. After multiple failed attempts, she looked at Serena pleadingly. "Please pick it up."

"You're ridiculous." half-chuckled Serena as she grabbed the phone from May's side. She looked at the caller ID. She accepted the call. "Hey Dawn."

"Serena? I could have sworn I called May's phone..."

"You did. She's just a little..." Serena glanced at May, in her ridiculous, full-body Rhyhorn outfit. "busy at the moment. So I picked up for her."

"Oh, well just put me on speaker then!"

Serena pressed a button on the corner of the phone, and suddenly, Dawn's voice was loud enough for both the sisters to hear.

"What's up Dawn?" asked May.

"Are you guys watching the game?" asked Dawn.

"Of course we are!" said both Serena and May, both slightly offended that Dawn would think otherwise.

"Good. Now... Did you two see that goal?!"

"Of course!" said Serena excitedly. "11 seconds in! These Haunters are going down!"

"Yeah! There's no way Red and Gary are going to lose!" said Dawn confidently. "Besides, I told Gary that if he loses, no sex for a month!"

"...Gross." mumbled May.

"...Dawn, you're freaking insane." stated Serena.

"Oh calm down, virgins. You're just jealous that both of you haven't even reached _third _base with your boyfriends, while Gary and I have hit home runs countless times! And Serena, don't act like you don't experience massive bursts of lust for Red frequently; you're not that good at hiding it anymore."

"Th-that's not true! Shut up!" yelled Serena, her cheeks crimson. Unfortunately, Dawn was telling the truth. Serena did have some dirty thoughts about Red quite often. But the lust was greatly overpowered by the love. "R-Red already has enough motivation to win! He doesn't need sexual rewards! He's gonna win this game!"

"Hey umm, I'd hate to be the bearer of super-bad news... but everyone, look at the screen." said May quietly.

Serena looked, and frowned.

* * *

"Uh-oh, Tim! Hilbert Black has the ball! This could be dangerous!" said Jim.

"I see what you mean Jim! Even though all of Pallet Town's defenders are near the goal, this Hilbert Black has a knack for weaving right through his opponent's shitty defenses! Here he goes!"

The camera switched to Hilbert, who indeed had the ball. He was heading for the goal, but about half of the Pallet Town Rhyhorns were waiting for him there. Two Rhyhorn defensemen, Barry and Chili, came rushing from both his sides, trying to flank him and hopefully steal the ball. Right when they were about to get Hilbert, he broke into a full-on sprint, getting himself out of harm's way just in time. Instead of stealing the ball, Barry and Chili ended up colliding into each other.

"Oh! And would you look at that! What a dodge!" roared Jim in excitement.

With two defenders out of the way, Hilbert decided to go for the kick. He kicked the ball, and it headed straight for the goal. But the ball did not go into the net. Luckily, Pallet Town's goalkeeper deflected the ball with both hands, stopping the goal. The ball bounced into the air, but it looked like Paul, Pallet Town's goalkeeper, was going to catch it anyway.

"And the ball is bounced away by Rhyhorn goalkeeper Paul Shinji! Fuck!" yelled Tim.

"Tim, believe me when I say that Paul has had a great season! He's truly one of the best goalkeepers in the leag- Oh! OH! Here's Hilbert Black again, going for a second attempt!"

Instead of letting Paul have the ball, Hilbert sprinted towards the ball, which was still in the air from Paul's block. Hilbert jumped up and headed the ball towards the net. Paul, who was too far from the goal to do anything, could only watch as the ball gracefully flew into the net, tying the game, 1-1. The crowd erupted in cheers, this time for the Lavender Town Haunters. As soon as he scored the goal, Hilbert patted down his hair so it looked more like Red's. He then strutted away in the exact same manner that Red did when he scored his goal. His teammates also crowded around him in the exact same way that Red's did. They were mocking the Rhyhorns. Gary could have sworn he saw smoke coming from Red's ears.

"WOW! In response to Red Ketchum's 0:11 goal, Hilbert Black scores a marvelous goal at 1:11! That just goes to show how dangerous this damned kid really is!" said Tim.

"Less than two minutes into the game, and there has already been two goals! This game is already fantastic!" said Jim.

* * *

"I'm going to castrate that Hilbert Black guy one day." muttered Serena.

"I will be joining you." growled Dawn. "Just look at him. He and his team of dorks must think they're soooo cool right now. WELL THEY'RE NOT. Red and Gary are gonna kick their asses!"

"I'm hungry." said May, completely changing the subject. She tried to stand up, but her Rhyhorn suit restricted all body movement. May shrugged and took off the suit, right there in the room.

"Yeah, they _will _lose. Even our mascot is better. What kind of mascot is a Haunter anyway? Rhyhorns are obviously bette-" Out of the corner of her eye, Serena saw May take off her Rhyhorn outfit. Serena covered her eyes. "What the hell May?! Put on some clothes!"

"What?" asked May, irritated. "It's not like I'm butt naked or anything. I'm wearing a bra and panties!"

"Just put some clothes on!" yelled Serena, her eyes still covered.

"May, don't listen to her," interrupted Dawn. "she's just jealous because she's not as developed as you and I are."

"Am not!" whined Serena. Seeing an argument was coming, May decided it was time to leave the room.

"Really, you're not?" asked Dawn sarcastically. "I know I'd be jealous if I was as curvy as a cardboard box, while my best friend had a killer ass, and my twin sister had fully developed boobs. I mean, I guess you have the cutest face out of the three of us. Good for you!"

"Dawn. If you keep talking, I'm going to beat the crap out of you!" threatened Serena.

"Go ahead. The crap will be comin' out of an ass that's bigger than yours." laughed Dawn mischievously.

"GRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" roared Serena in rage. "Listen here, you blue-haired bit-"

"Well!" said May reentering the room, fully clothed. She walked over to Serena and grabbed her phone from her sister's hands. "It's been great talking to you, Dawn! Have a nice day, and yes, your ass is larger than Serena's, but her brain is MUCH larger than yours, so everything evens out. Au revoir!"

May hung up the phone before Dawn could reply. She tossed her phone onto her bed and sat beside Serena, placing her arm around her sister comfortingly. The girls sat in silence, both of them thinking over what had just happened. Finally, after almost 30 minutes of quietness, Serena realized that she had to say something.

"...Thanks." said Serena quietly.

"No problem. She went a little too far this time." answered May.

"But she was right..." said Serena forlornly. "I barely qualify as average..."

"No she wasn't. And even if she was right, which she wasn't, who cares? Red loves you just the way you are." said May.

"Yeah..." said Serena. Though she knew May was right, she was still upset. Serena didn't have many insecurities, but the ones she did have would always affect her deeply if brought up, which is why Dawn's teasing always got to her. But that was just Dawn's personality. She didn't mean to actually hurt Serena's feelings.

"Come on, cheer up! All this drama caused us to forget about the game. Let's see the scores..." said May, turning her head towards the TV. Her eyes widened. "Oh..."

"What's wrong?" asked Serena.

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong! Haha..." laughed May nervously as she jumped in front of the TV, blocking the score display.

"May, move." said Serena monotonously.

"If you say so..."

May reluctantly removed her body from the TV screen, allowing Serena to view the scores. She gasped. It was 3 to 1, Haunters in the lead. The camera was currently focused on Red who was walking off the field angrily, followed by the rest of his team. Red placed his hat on his head and glared daggers at the camera man, silently daring him to continue to taking footage of him. The camera man got the message and decided to focus on a different player.

"They're... losing?!" shrieked Serena. "But how?!"

"We'll see right now. They're doing the Half-Time Recap." said May, pointing to the screen.

* * *

"Welcome, our viewers at home, to the Half-Time Recap, where we replay and discuss all the major events of the first half of the game! And there is A LOT of shit to discuss, right Jim?"

"You bet, Tim. Let's go over the fouls first. In the 41st minute of the game, Rhyhorn striker Gary Oak was given a yellow card for flipping both his middle fingers to a referee after a questionable call. That really should have got him a Red Card, but he's Gary Oak, so who cares?"

"Not me. Other than that, everyone has been playing quite fairly. I think all of those crazy soccer-playin' bastards know the stakes are too high for them to play any differently. Now, on to the exciting part; the goals!"

"Not so fast Tim, first we gotta go over the saves by both goalkeepers! Both Paul and Brendan have been giving it their all!" said Jim.

"Fuck that shit! I wanna go over the goals!" protested Tim.

"Woaaaaah easy there tiger, there are children watching this! Watch the language!" said Jim with a forced smile. Tim had been cursing ever since the game began.

"Fuck the children! Anyway, blah blah blah, Paul Shinji blocked 7 goal attempts this half and Brendan blocked 6. Now, on to the GOALS!"

"...Yeah, on to the goals." said Jim hesitantly. "Of course, there was that spectacular goal by Redwood Ketchum at 0:11!"

The screen showed the clip of Red sprinting across the field and scoring the goal.

"Yes Jim, and then there was that equally as spectacular goal by Hilbert Black at 1:11, which tied the game! Damn!"

"But don't forget the second goal by Hilbert Black in the 21st minute! Hilbert was given a penalty kick, and of course, he made it."

"But its Hilbert Black's controversial goal in the 41st minute that's got all the haters talking! Here's the footage!"

The clip began with Rhyhorn defender Drew Hayden with the ball. Drew had been able to steal the ball from one of Lavender Town's players, stopping them from potentially scoring a goal. Drew was on his way to the other side of the field, planning on passing the ball to Gary or Red, as they were both unguarded. The clip then paused, and highlighted Hilbert Black, who was heading straight for Drew. The clip resumed. Drew saw Hilbert coming and knew he had to get rid of the ball fast. He kicked the ball upwards, but as soon as Drew kicked the ball, Hilbert did something quite extraordinary. He did a front flip right in front of Drew, his heels meeting both the soccer ball and Drew's face. Drew fell to the ground, his nose bloody and broken. With no Rhyhorn defenders in the area, Hilbert headed straight for the goal. Paul got ready, not planning on letting Hilbert score. Hilbert kicked, but it was a fake-out. The fake fooled Paul, causing him to dive for the ball, as if Hilbert had actually kicked it. With Paul out of the way, Hilbert effortlessly kicked the ball into the net, scoring a goal.

"And there it was! That kick to the face is what made this goal so controversial, Tim." said Jim. "He drop kicked Drew Hayden's nose into oblivion!"

"Yes. Drew Hayden ended up being taken out of the game, and that was why Gary Oak gave the referee the middle finger. To me, that should have been at least a free kick for the Rhyhorns, but this referee's a dick. Just look at that shit-eating grin of his!"

"Tim, we need to have a little talk in private."

* * *

"That's so stupid!" roared Serena. "He drop-kicked Drew's nose into oblivion, and he doesn't get punished?!"

"Well frankly, I'm kinda glad that Drew guy got hurt. He likes me, and he keeps on giving me roses. I don't think he knows that I am both taken by Ash, and allergic to roses." said May.

"That doesn't matter! Hilbert Black shouldn't have gone off completely free after a move like that! These refs are clearly paid off!" speculated Serena.

"You think so?" asked May.

* * *

"Alright guys, that son-of-a-bitch ref has clearly been paid off by Lavender Town." grumbled Gary as the team entered the locker room. "There's no way that someone should be able to drop-kick a person's nose into oblivion without at least a Yellow Card."

The Rhyhorns looked defeated. All the players except Gary, Paul and Red looked as if their dog had just died. They all went to their lockers, and checked their phones and texted their families and friends. Some of them simply sat on the bench, depressed. After they all took care of their personal matters, they met in the center of the locker room. They all stared at each other, no one knowing what to say.

"What are we gonna do? Drew's our best defender, and he's out." said Barry.

"And even Drew wasn't good enough to stop that Hilbert Black kid." added Chili sadly.

"Their defense is almost impenetrable..." sulked Ritchie.

"Guys," said Morrison, a midfielder. "I don't think we can win this... They're _really _good..."

There was a chorus of mumbles, almost all of them agreeing with Morrison. Gary looked around in disbelief, while Red walked away from the group, disappointed in them.

"BULLSHIT!" yelled Gary. "I can't believe my ears right now! We are the goddamn Rhyhorns, Kanto's #1 high school soccer team for 2 years straight! There is _nothing_ we can't do if we put our minds to it! This isn't our first time being in this situation before! We've been losing at half-time before! And what did we do all those times? We came back and put those motherfuckers in their goddamn places! Hilbert Black? Fuck that guy! We have Red Ketchum! Brendan Yuki? To Hell with that little bitch, we have Paul Shinji! We have come too far guys, too fucking far! We are not going to lose to some haunted dickwads!"

"What do you suggest we do then?" asked Paul, arms folded.

"We go out there, and show them who they're dealing with! We need rock-hard defense, a solid midfield, and our offense needs to be fucking legendary! And guess what? we can do all of that and more! Come on, half-time ends in 10 seconds! Let's do it! One!"

"Hurrah..." mumbled the rest of the team.

"I can't hear you! TWO!"

"Hurrah hah." said the team with a little more effort.

"Not loud enough, boys! THREE!"

"Hurrah hah hah!" yelled the team.

"GIMME ONE MORE! FOUR!"

"HURRAH RAH HA HAH!" roared the Pallet Town Rhyhorns, their adrenaline pumping.

"WHO'S BALL?!" yelled Gary.

"OUR BALL!"

"WHO'S GAME?!"

"OUR GAME!"

"RHYHORNS ON THREE! 1, 2, 3-"

"RHYHORRRRRNS!" shouted the team, their vigor renewed.

"Oh Captaaaaaaaaain..." sang Gary. Red, who was on the other side of the locker room, smirked. Gary pointed towards the door. "Lead your team into battle."

Red took his hat off and nodded, and as he walked towards the door, the rest of the team lined up on each side of the door, forming an aisle for Red to walk through. They all stuck their hands out. Red gladly jogged through it, both his hands out so he could high-five everyone in the team as he jogged through. The team gladly followed him out, into the bright lights of the stadium.

* * *

"Come on guys... you gotta win..." whispered Serena as she watched the TV intensely. About 10 minutes had passed since the end of half-time.

"You know, they can't hear you." said May, her mouth full of ice-cream. "And besides, they've been playing really well ever since the end of half-time. I wonder what kind of pep talk gave them this much determination."

"Ugh! They keep on getting close to scoring, but that stupid Lavender Town goalkeeper keeps blocking them!" groaned Serena.

"Who, Brendan Yuki?" asked May as she shoved another spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth.

"Yeah, him!" spat Serena venomously.

"You do realize we know him right? He was our friend when we were little, but he moved away." said May. She looked into her jar of ice-cream and saw that it was empty. She frowned.

"Well he's not our friend anymore! Today, he's our enemy! And besides, I never really liked him anyway!" growled Serena.

"Calm down Serena. It's only a matter of time til Red or Gary scores." said May as she grabbed another jar of ice-cream from behind her pillow.

* * *

"Oh man Bob, I don't know what happened to those Pallet Town Rhyhorns in that locker room, but whatever it was, it's done an amazing job at renewing their fighting spirit. Not only has their defense improved, but their offense has been fiercer than an Arcanine ever since the start of the second half!" said Jim. After their talk in private, Tim had disappeared, replaced by a guy named Bob.

"It's quite amazing! We're only in the 55th minute, 10 minutes since half time ended, and there has already been 6 shots on Lavender Town's goal, all of them blocked by Brendan Yuki. If they keep up this unrelenting wave of offense, sooner or later, there's going to be a shot that Brendan won't be able to block! I see a some goals coming up, and they have Pallet Town written all over them!"

"We'll see about that! I have a feeling you're right, Bob! Red Ketchum has been giving it his all so far, kicking 4 of the 6 attempts in the past 10 minutes. The other 2 were kicked by Gary Oak, one of the unsung heroes of the Pallet Town Rhyhorns. I'm afraid his often rude, rowdy behavior on the field greatly overshadows the true skill he actually possesses. He may not be up there with Red Ketchum and Hilbert Black, but he's definitely a valuable player, scoring about 1 goal per match! Well would you look at that! Someone's just passed him the ball right now!"

The camera zoomed in on Gary, who indeed had the ball. He was heading straight for the goal, with one defender approaching him. As the defender got closer, Gary looked him in the eye and smirked. He lightly kicked the ball, which caused it to roll right in between the defender's legs. Gary ran around the defender and retrieved the ball, letting out a triumphant laugh as he did it. Before the defender could get in his way again, Gary kicked the ball, and it rolled right in between Brendan's legs at lightning speed, into the goal.

"AND IT'S GOOD! GOAAAAALLLLLLL!" cried Bob.

"A MAGNIFICENT GOAL BY GARY OAK OF PALLET TOWN! BETWEEN THE LEGS OF BOTH THE DEFENDER, AND THE GOALKEEPER! WHAT A TRICKSTER! JUST LOOK AT HIM CELEBRATE!"

As soon as he scored the goal, Gary started running around screaming, both his arms waving outwards as if they were wings. He was screaming as loud as he could, so loud that his face was turning red. When he reached the end of the field, he slid onto his knees and started playing air guitar, and that's when his fellow teammates crowded around him, patting his back and ruffling his spiky brown hair. But he wasn't done yet. He pelvic-thrust himself out of the crowd of his teammates and sprinted over to the nearest camera. He showed both of his hands to the camera, showing a message on his palms written in permanent marker. 'I LOVE YOU DAWN!' was written on both hands. He then started blowing kisses into the crowd, causing many of his female fans to faint.

Instead of scowling like they did when Red scored his goal, the Lavender town Haunters just watched, all of them thinking Gary was crazy. Even Hilbert Black just watched, wide eyed.

Unfortunately for Gary, his joy was very short-lived. The referee blew a whistle, took a yellow card out of his pocket, and pointed at Gary.

"Ohohohoho, and it seems like Gary Oak has been yellow carded for excessive celebration!" said Jim. "This is his second yellow card of the game. And 2 yellow cards adds up to a red card, which means..."

"Gary Oak is being taken out of the game!" announced Bob as the referee pulled out a red card, still pointing at Gary.

Red and the rest of the Rhyhorns froze and looked at the referee in disbelief. Hilbert and the Haunters could be seen across the field, giggling like little Japanese school-girls. Gary glared at the ref, and without hesitation, flipped him off with both middle-fingers. For the second time that day. He then stormed off the field, but not before grabbing Red by the shoulder and whispering something into his ear.

"It's up to you now." whispered Gary. "You gotta win this for us."

Red nodded and watched as Gary left the game. Unlike Drew, Gary was not going to be replaced, which meant that the Rhyhorns were playing with 10 players, while Haunters still had a full team of 11. They were outnumbered. And Red was the only member left of the offense that could possibly score a goal. Without Gary, the weight of the whole game rested on Red. He took a deep breath and glared at Hilbert Black. The score was now 2-3.

The game continued, the Rhyhorns' morale untouched by the dismissal of their second-best player.

* * *

"Typical Gary..." sighed Serena. "Well, at least he scored a goal before he made a complete idiot of himself."

"Yeah! Now the score is 2-3! One goal from Red will tie the game!" said May cheerfully as she grabbed yet another jar of ice-cream, this one from under her bed.

"But it won't be that easy." said Serena. "In fact, it'll be even harder for Red to score now."

"How so?"

"Now that Gary's out of the picture, the Lavender Town Losers are going to focus almost all of their defense on Red now, which means he's going to have at least two guys surrounding him at all times..."

"Oh whatever, Red'll be able to get past them. He's super." said May, her mouth filled to the brim with ice-cream.

"I hope so..." said Serena, her hands clasped together.

The sisters watched, and watched and watched and watched. But every time Red was in possession of the ball, 3 or 4 people would crowd around him, stopping him from doing anything. Overall, the second half of the game became quite boring, since no one was scoring. Hilbert Black was being treated the same way Red was, multiple people surrounding him. No points were being scored, and the game was winding down to its last minutes.

As the game got closer and closer to ending, Serena became more and more nervous. Her breathing had gone from normal to heavy, and somehow, her hair had found a way to become messy, even though she hadn't moved at all. Though May had shown a rather calm view on the game before, her mannerisms also became more and more nervous as the clock continued to tick.

"Oh man, the game is almost over, and no one's scored..." said Serena, sounding like she was going to burst into tears any second. "There's only 2 minutes left of the game..."

"D-don't worry," said May weakly. "2 minutes is a lot of time..."

* * *

"Jim, there are less than 2 minutes left, and in a game like this, that's not a lot of time!" said Bob.

"I agree 102%, Bob. The Rhyhorns need a miracle. One more goal from them would tie the game, sending us into overtime! But is there time to make said goal? Let's see! The ball is currently in possesion of Rhyhorn midfielder Morrison Gingerbush! He's got the ball, and it looks like he wants to pass it to Red Ketchum, who, surprisingly, is open!"

"Could this be the miracle the Rhyhorns are hoping for?!"

Morrison kicked the ball to Red. Red received it, and immediately dashed towards the goal, determination practically radiating off of him. A Lavender Town defender came towards him, but Red made a sharp turn in a different direction, catching the defender off guard. The defender fell to the ground, his hands gripping his knee. The referee blew his whistle, and ran over to the defender, who was obviously faking an injury.

"Oh no! It looks like Calem Calme, one of Lavender Town's best defenders, has fallen! With only 40 seconds left on the clock too!"

"Thing is, Jim, I didn't see any contact... could this be an effort to run the clock down, eliminating any chances of the Rhyhorns tying the game?"

"That's up to the ref to decide!" said Jim.

The referee rolled his eyes and walked away from Calem, aware of what he was trying to do. He pulled out a yellow card, punishing Calem for his poor acting. But the damage was done. Calem's little act burned 15 seconds, which meant there were only 25 seconds left of the game. The referee blew the whistle, and the ball was given to Barry, who was all the way in the midfield. He immediately searched for Red, only to see that he was being covered by 4 Haunters. Knowing there wasn't going to be another chance, Barry went for the pass anyway. He kicked the ball to Red, and against all odds, Red got it.

"And the ball is passed to Red Ketchum again! This could be it! There are only 12 second left of the game!"

Red had never worked so hard in his life. He had 4 opponents on him at once, all trying to steal the ball from him. It was like a game of extreme soccer-hop-scotch, his legs constantly moving in different ways and angles to keep the ball in his possession. But his efforts weren't in vain; he was getting close to the goal. Scattered across the field, members of both the Rhyhorns and Haunters watched anxiously. Red's eyes darted to the score board, and saw that there were only 6 second left. He kicked the ball as hard as he could towards the net. Right after he kicked the ball, he tripped and fell, 3 of the 4 Lavender Town defenders landing on him. His hazel eyes watched as the ball soared forward, towards the net. He could have sworn he kicked the ball hard, but to him, it looked like it was going in slow motion. He closed his eyes, fearing if he kept them open, the suspense would give him a heart-attack.

* * *

"Oh my god, I can't look!" squealed Serena as she grabbed May and buried her face in the crook of May's neck.

May stared at the screen, her eyes refusing to blink.

* * *

...

"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!"

Red's eyes popped open, wide. He saw two things. Brendan Yuki angrily take off his white cap and throw it into the ground, and the ball. In the net. Red erupted out of the small pile of defenders on top of him, his eyes wide, a giant grin on his face. He turned around, and saw the rest of his team sprinting towards him. The Pallet Town Rhyhorns tackled him into the ground, rejoicing. The game was tied 3-3.

Through the pile of teens on top of him, Red managed to make eye contact with Hilbert. Instead of giving him a murderous glare, Red smirked. Hilbert glared back and briskly walked off the field, into the locker rooms. His teammates followed soon after.

* * *

"HE DID IT, SERENA! HE DID IT!" screamed May, shaking Serena's body back and forth. "RED DID IT! HE DID IT! OH MY GOD IT WAS AMAZING YOU SHOULD HAVE SAW IT! THE BALL WAS LIKE 'SWOOOSH' AND THE NET WAS LIKE 'F'TANNGGGG' AND IT WAS AWESOME!"

"HE SCOR- GOAL, RED- OUCH! WOO- HOO.. GAHH- RED, SOCCER BALL,- G-GOALKEEPER...HAPPY, SCORING, YES-GOAL, G-GOALS-BALL- ARHGFASKDBWDNPWEOFJ#^*&amp;) #*&amp;UH..." stuttered Serena uncontrollably. Not only was she overwhelmed with joy and relief, she was overwhelmed by May, who was still shaking her body quite roughly. She began to feel nauseous. "M-MAAAY! STAHHHHHHPPPP!"

May immediately stopped shaking Serena, accidentally pushing her off the bed in the process. "Whoops."

* * *

"In an amazing final attempt, Red Ketchum saves the hopes of Pallet Town by scoring a fucking goal, with 2 seconds left on the goddamn clock! What a guy! He started the fucking game with a goal, and ended the game with one! Welcome viewers at home, to the post-game show!"

"Well Tim, it's not really a post-game show, because the game is going into overtime! Wait a minute... TIM?! How did you get back here?! Where's Bob?!"

"Fuck you, Jim. You're asking about Bob? I got rid of that bitch. This is my fucking job, and I ain't being replaced."

"Well, good to have you back Tim." said Jim. "Anyway, this second half has been an interesting one! 2 goals from the Rhyhorns, and 0 from the Haunters. Hilbert Black only had the ball 3 times this whole half, and all his attempts at goals were swatted away by Paul Shinji!"

"Gary Motherfucking Oak really did some damage today. That goal was kick-ass!"

"Yes it was, Tim. But as we already know, he got kicked out of the game immediately afterwards."

"That was a load of bullshit."

"Yes it was, Tim. With Gary gone, that made the fate of the Rhyhorns rest solely on Red, and he delivered!"

"That was fucking intense."

"Yes it was, Tim." said Jim as he glanced at the field. The teams were entering the field again. "Okay ladies and gentlemen, it seems like the 30 minutes of overtime are ready to start! For those of you who don't know the rules of overtime, allow me to give you an explanation! It's simple, who ever has the most goals by the end of the 30 extra minutes wins. Sight tight everyone, these next 30 minutes are going to be action-packed!"

...

_30 minutes later..._

"Wow Tim, that was the most boring 30 minutes of my life! No goals, no attempts, no fouls, nothing!"

"I agree Jim. Fuck overtime. All the players are too exhausted to do stuff! They're all just dragging themselves around the field like zombies!"

"I couldn't agree more. Even Red Ketchum and Hilbert Black have been ridiculously sloppy! Overtime has ended, and both the teams are tied. This means the championship will be settled by a shoot-out!"

"A what?" asked Tim.

"A shoot out! Each team gets 5 penalty kicks. Whichever team scores the most out of their 5 wins!"

"Shit, that's pretty damn cool. Well, while the teams prepare for the shoot-out, we'll be going on commercial break!"

"After these quick messages from our sponsors, the shoot-out will begin. Stay tuned!"

* * *

"I don't think I have ever been more stressed in my life." muttered Serena as she shoved a pillow over her face. She was laying on her bed, her hat on the floor.

"Really?" asked May. "A soccer game is stressing you more than when we were being chased by Kenny's Machoke? Or when you couldn't find Red a gift?"

"Okay fine, this is the third most stressed I've been in my life." grumbled Serena.

"What about when Ash was in the hospital?" asked May_._

"May, shut up, you know what I mean." droned Serena. Just then, Serena's phone vibrated, indicating she had just received a text message. She opened it, and she immediately sat up. "One new message from Red!"

"What's it say?" asked May as she grabbed another jar of ice-cream, from under Serena's bed this time.

"See for yourself." said Serena, tossing her phone to May.

May reached out to catch it, but forgot that she had a jar of half-melted ice-cream in her hand. By the time she noticed, it was too late. Serena's phone fell into the ice-cream, and slowly sank to the bottom. May stared at the jar, blinked twice, and looked at Serena. There was silence. The same type of silence before an explosion in an action movie. The calm before the storm. Before Serena could even say anything, May quickly placed the jar of ice-cream on the floor and sprinted out of the room. As May ran down the halls of the hotel, she could hear the deafening screams of Serena behind her.

May quickly glanced behind herself, and was shocked to see Serena right behind her. She shrieked, and tried to run faster, but Serena lunged at her and tackled her to the floor, growling like a mad dog. May gulped.

"Are you aware... how expensive that phone was?" growled Serena, her enraged cyan eyes looking directly into May's fearful, sapphire ones.

"U-um, 20 dollars?" asked May sheepishly.

"No." spat Serena. "$200. And you know who paid for it?"

"Mom and Dad?" squeaked May.

"Wrong again." growled Serena. "Me. With _my own_ money. AND YOU JUST DESTROYED IT."

"Sorry." whimpered May.

"Oh, you'll be sorry alright!" roared Serena as she attacked May.

May fought back, both of the sisters rolling around the halls of the hotel. No fists were actually thrown; it was more along the lines of wrestling while insulting each other. May was simply trying to defend herself, while Serena was subconsciously relieving all the stress the soccer game had given her. 1 minute in, Serena's hair had already become even more of a mess, her little pony-tail at the end of her hair becoming undone. May's bandana had fallen off, and he hair was also a mess. The action would have gone on for longer, but there was an interruption. As the girls were "fighting", they heard a whisper.

"This is so hot..." whispered the voice.

Serena and May paused, wide eyed. They both looked at each other, then at the source of the voice. A few feet away, they could see a cell-phone peeping from around the corner of the hallway.

"Oh shit!" said the voice, and suddenly the phone disappeared, and the sound of someone running away could be heard.

May and Serena picked up their belongings and went after the person. It didn't take long for them the find the person, and tackle them to the ground. To stop him from moving, both girls sat on top of the person, who was face down on the ground. May had her hand on the back of the person's head, preventing them from trying anything funny.

"Who are you?" asked Serena, her breathing heavy.

"And why were you recording us?!" yelled May, who was also breathing heavily.

"Well maybe if you'd stop pushing my face into the goddamn floor, I'd be able to answer you." answered the guy, his voice muffled.

"May, move your hand." ordered Serena.

May's eyes narrowed as she removed her hand from the guy's head. As soon as the person turned his head towards them, both girls gasped in disgust. They knew him alright, more than they wanted to. He was a cousin of Ash and Red, the girls' least favorite one too.

"Oh hello May, Serena. Didn't think I'd see you two here." said Ethan, wiggling his eyebrows. "How long has it been since we last saw each other? 6 months?"

"Ew." said both girls simultaneously.

"Hey now, no need to be rude." said Ethan with a fake pout.

"What are the odds that we'd find this... this perverted _thing _here, in Unova?" asked May to no one in particular.

"Sorry, but you guys aren't the first people to think of vacationing in Unova. It's a popular place. And I've said it before, I'm not a pervert. Just an admirer of the female anatomy." said Ethan as he nonchalantly stood up, effortlessly knocking both May and Serena off his back. "Oh yeah, I could have escaped at any time, but it was pretty fun having two pretty girls sit on me. Anyway, what are you doing here in the hallway? Shouldn't you be watching Red's game?"

"We were, but then we got a little sidetracked... But that's not the point, what are you doing here recording us?!" asked May.

"I just came out of the elevator, and heard noise. I investigated, and saw two hotties wrestling. Any sensible guy would whip out his phone and capture the beauty of the scene." explained Ethan. He then looked both girls from top to bottom. "Damn, Ash and Red are lucky bastards..."

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by another voice, a new one that neither she nor May recognized.

"Ethan come on! The shoot-out is starting!" yelled a girl from down the hall.

"Hold on Lyra, I'm coming!" called Ethan.

"Lyra?" asked May.

"She's my girlfriend." said Ethan proudly.

"So you have a girlfriend, and you were still checking us out?" asked Serena, her arms folded.

"I was admiring, not checking out." mumbled Ethan.

"Ethan, get over here!" called Lyra.

"I'm comin' babe!" he called. He turned to Serena and May. "You might as well just watch the shoot-out with Lyra and I. It'll be over by the time you get back to your room."

May and Serena looked at each other, sighed, and nodded. The girls reluctantly followed Ethan to his hotel room. As soon as they walked in, they saw a brown-haired girl in a big white hat, with a red bow on it. When she saw May and Serena, Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Who are they?" she asked, pointing to them.

"Red's girlfriend and her twin sister." said Ethan, pointing to both girls. "I um... bumped into them in the hall."

"Oh. Nice to meet you!" said Lyra kindly. "I wish I could introduce myself more, but the shoot-out is starting. Everyone stop talking and watch!"

* * *

"Here we are folks, the final contest to end it all!" said Jim.

"This game has been fan-fucking-tastic, and I'm kinda sad to see it end!" added Tim.

"Here we go, the five kickers the Rhyhorns have chosen are Captain Red Ketchum, Gary Oak, who has been let back into the game, Drew Hayden, who has recovered enough from his nose injury to play, midfielder Ritchie Hiroshi, and Naruto Uzumaki, an exchange student from the far away region of Konoha! What an interesting line-up!"

"Hell yeah. The Haunters chose Hilbert Black, and a bunch of other bozos no one cares about! First up are the Rhyhorns. They chose Gary Motherfucking Oak to kick first!"

Gary walked onto the field, no fear evident in his step. His face was void of any emotion. He walked up to the starting line, and looked the Haunters' goalkeeper, Brendan, in the eye. Brendan looked right back, trying to read Gary's poker face. As soon as the whistle blew, Gary ran up to the ball and kicked it. Brendan jumped for it, but he just couldn't get to it in time. The ball flew into the net.

With his attempt successful, Gary dropped the emotionless facade and sprinted off the field, a huge grin on his face.

"That's one goal for the Rhyhorns... up next is Calem, from Lavender Town!" said Jim.

Calem walked onto the field, clearly nervous. Paul, who was in the goal, noticed. He smirked. Calem shakily looked at the goal, and his eyes met Paul's. Paul looked deep into Calem's soul, bringing out all of Calem's worst fears. The referee blew the whistle, and Calem ran and kicked the ball. The ball flew ridiculously off-course, landing in the crowd. No goal.

Calem walked off the field, depressed.

"That's a miss from Calem Calme, which is ironic, because he definitely wasn't calm out there! It's 1-0, Rhyhorns in the lead!" announced Jim.

"Up next we have Drew Hayden!"

Gary and Red patted Drew on the back, and sent him onto the field. His face was covered in bandages from the nose down, his green eyes and equally green hair being the only visible parts. But judging by his eyes, he looked fearless. He got to the start line and nodded at the referee, his arms folded. The referee blew the whistle, and Drew ran towards the ball. As he got ready to kick it, a butterfly landed on his nose, sending waves of pain throughout his face. Instead of the powerful kick he had planned, he delivered a soft, baby kick. The ball gently rolled towards the goal, but unsurprisingly, it was stopped by Brendan.

Drew dragged himself off the field, tears streaming down his bandaged face.

"Oof, and it looks like Drew LaRousse failed! Poor guy has had a rough day! The score remains 1-0, Rhyhorns still in the lead!" said Jim.

"Up fucking next we have Lucas Berlitz of Lavender Town!"

Lucas calmly strode onto the field. On his way to that start line, he made sure to make eye contact with Gary, who was sitting on the sidelines with the rest of the Rhyhorns. Lucas was Dawn's cousin, and he absolutely despised Gary. Gary smiled and kindly waved to Lucas, completely unaware of the hatred the blue haired teen harbored for him. Lucas growled. The referee blew the whistle, and Lucas took his anger out on the soccer ball. He kicked the ball as hard as he could, and it flew into the net before Paul could even react.

Lucas angrily stomped off the field.

"Holy shit, what a kick by Lucas Berlitz! The shoot-out is tied at 1-1!" said Tim.

"Up next is Naruto Uzumaki, from The Village Hidden in the Leav- I mean, Pallet Town!"

On the sidelines, Naruto smiled and did some quick hand signs, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He reappeared at the start line. Brendan stared at the blonde ninja, wide eyed. The referee blew the whistle, and Naruto did more hand signs. Suddenly there were 3 Narutos. The first Naruto ran to the ball and kicked it into the air. The second one jumped into the air and kicked it forward. The third and final Naruto jumped up and headed the ball into the goal. Brendan didn't even try to block the goal. He was too confused.

Naruto's clones disappeared in clouds of smoke, and he did cartwheels until he was off the field.

"A goal from Naruto Uzumaki! Though I'm not sure if Ninjutsu is allowed in soccer games..." said Jim.

"Fuck the rules. The score is now 2-1, Rhyhorns back in the lead!" said Tim. "Next up is Todd Snap, of Lavender Town."

Todd jogged onto the field, like any normal guy would. He got to the starting line, and waited for the referee to blow the whistle. The referee did just that, and that's when Todd did something odd. He pulled out his camera and turned it on. As he ran towards the ball, he readied the camera, so he could take a picture of himself kicking the ball. The results were disastrous. He ended up stepping on the ball, and falling flat on his face. No goal.

Todd walked off the field, looking to see if he got the picture anyway.

"I don't understand what the logic behind that was... but it looks like it's still 2-1, Rhyhorns in the lead!" said Jim.

"Hell yeah it is. The fourth person kicking for the Rhyhorns is Red Ketchum!" said Tim.

Red walked onto the field, his eyes staring down at the ground. He needed an extra boost of encouragement from Serena, which was why he texted her. But she never replied. He took a deep breath and exhaled, thinking deeply about what the game meant to him. He arrived at the starting line, took off his hat, and placed it by his feet. The referee blew the whistle, and Red ran towards the ball. He kicked it, and the moment his foot touched the ball, he found his encouragement. As soon as he felt the ball touch his foot, he realized that it was _his_ game, not Hilbert's. The ball hit Brendan square in the chest, knocking the goalkeeper off his feet. But the kick was so powerful that the ball rolled off of Brendan's body into the goal.

Red picked up his hat, put back on his head, and happily strolled off the field.

"And that's another goal from Pallet Town! The score is now 3-1. You know what that means, right Tim?"

"Bitch please, I know. That means that if the next kicker from Lavender Town doesn't score, the game is over! But I don't think that'll be much of a problem for them, because the next kicker is none other than Hilbert fucking Black!"

Hilbert slowly rose from his bench. He was clearly not happy about losing. In a deadly calm manner, he walked to the starting line, fists clenched. Though his dark demeanor would intimidate any goalkeeper, the one standing before Hilbert was an exception. Paul stared Hilbert down, not intimidated by Hilbert in the least. The referee blew the whistle, and Hilbert sprinted towards the ball. He kicked it with such ungodly power that the ball made a whizzing sound on the way to the net. Paul lunged for the ball, and stuck his hand out to block it. The ball met Paul's hand.

Hilbert smirked and walked off the field, slightly less angry than before.

"Um... wow. It looks like Hilbert Black just scored a goal folks." said Jim.

"B-but... but I swear I saw the ball touch Paul Shinji's hand..." said Tim.

Everyone stared at Paul, who was still on the ground. He was curled up in a ball, not moving. After another 30 seconds of staring, a medic rushed onto the field. He poked Paul, and Paul didn't answer. He turned Paul over, and Paul had his eyes closed, and his teeth were gritted. Everyone wondered why at first, but then they all understood when Paul's hand became visible. It was bent in a way that it shouldn't have been bent. And to make matters worse, there was a sharp, white point of bone jutting out of his wrist, blood slowly seeping out. Hilbert Black's kick had mangled Paul's hand.

A chorus of 'ohhh's and 'awww's were heard from the crowd, all of them sympathizing with Paul. With the help of the medic, Paul stood to his feet and walked off the field, wincing all the way.

* * *

"Uh oh..." mumbled May, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, poor guy..." added Lyra. "He definitely won't be able to play for a few months."

"That Hilbert Black dude is a monster." commented Ethan.

"I hate him so much..." grumbled Serena.

Lyra, Ethan and Serena's comments went through one ear out the other for May, as her mind was elsewhere. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and sure enough, someone was calling her. She stared at the phone as if it were a bomb. Lyra noticed her odd behavior and poked May. May jumped in fear, as if a murderer had just surprised her.

"Oh, sorry if I scared you. You just looked really sad and scared, so I wanted to know if you're okay." explained Lyra.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." lied May. She looked at her phone. It was still vibrating. "Excuse me, I have to take this call."

May quickly walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling nervously. But she had to answer the call. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"OH MY GOD MAY, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!" cried Ash. It was hard for May to hear Ash in a state of panic, as he was usually level-headed when he was under pressure. "PAUL IS INJURED! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?! YOU SAID NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN! WELL GUESS WHAT? SOMETHING FREAKING HAPPENED!"

"Ashy, I need you to calm dow-"

"CALM DOWN?! YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN?! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE RIGHT NOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

"Here's what you gotta do, you have to-"

"WHY EXACTLY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?!" he cried. "YOU GOT ME INTO THIS MESS!"

"Well I didn't think it'd come to this..."

"WELL IT DID!" sobbed Ash. "IT DID!"

"Ash, listen to me. Remember way back on Battle Day when you beat Trip for me? Use that same badass-ness that you used back then, now. Treat this like a pokemon battle."

"But what if it's not enough?" asked Ash.

"It'll be enough. Just flip your hat backwards, that always seems to do the trick." said May. "I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. You shouldn't have listened to me, I'm dumb."

"You're not dumb!" replied Ash quickly. "This is really my fault if you think about it. I'm the dumb one."

"Maybe we're both dumb." said May with a small giggle.

"Heheh... yeah, maybe." laughed Ash, his nervousness temporarily evaporating. Suddenly, a voice was heard in the background talking to Ash. There was a pause, and then Ash began to speak again, his voice nervous once more. "May, I gotta go now. I love you."

"I love you too. I believe in you!"

"You might be the only one." chuckled Ash. "Bye."

"Bye."

May hung up the phone and walked back into Ethan and Lyra's room. She looked at the screen ans saw that Ritchie, Pallet Town's final kicker, had missed. She sat down a paid close attention to the TV.

* * *

"Well that's a goddamn miss from Ritchie." said Tim.

"Yes it is, Tim. We are down to our final kicker. Lavender Town's fifth and final kicker is a boy by the name of Blue! A lot is riding on this attempt! If Blue scores, the shoot-out would be tied, and we'd have to start another one. If he misses, the Rhyhorns win. He must be under some intense pressure!"

Blue walked onto the field, a smirk on his face. It was obvious he wasn't feeling the pressure that he should have felt. He had an aura of confidence surrounding him, and he looked dangerous.

"Woahh Gary, he looks just like you!" said Chili pointing to the doppelganger.

"Hmph, I don't see it." said Gary, shrugging his shoulders.

After winking to a bunch of women in the crowd, Blue quietly made his way to the starting line, his eyes on the ball the whole time. After staring at the ball for a few seconds, he realized that the ref hadn't blown the whistle yet. He looked up, and saw that the goal was still empty. He looked around, confused.

"Oh that's right! According to the medic, Paul Shinji cannot play for the rest of the game, which means Pallet Town will have to use its spare goalkeeper!" said Jim.

* * *

"We have a spare goalkeeper?" asked Serena aloud.

* * *

_"We have a spare goalkeeper?"_ thought Dawn.

* * *

"We have a spare goalkeeper?" asked Gary, turning to Red. Red shrugged.

"Paul's never been hurt before..." said Ritchie. "Whoever our spare goalkeeper is, I don't think they've ever played..."

"Well, we'll see who he is in a few seconds." said Barry. " I just hope he's good enough to block this next goal. That's all we need to win."

"Here he is folks!" echoed Jim's voice through the stadium. "Pallet Town's spare goalkeeper... ASHTON KETCHUM!"

The camera zoomed in on Ash, who jogged out of the locker room onto the field, straight-faced, in a Pallet Town uniform. He had grown taller in the past six months, reaching Red's height. The visible portion of his hair was as wild and unruly as ever, and his ever-present hat was on his head. Backwards. He was still lean, but had gained a few pounds in muscle, muscles that came naturally, not from working out. Overall, he lookes as if he knew what he was doing. That couldn't have been any further from the truth.

As he approached the net, Ash glanced at the side of the field, where the rest of the team was. The whole team looked shocked, but none more than Red and Gary. They were absolutely flabbergasted, their eyes almost falling out of their sockets.

"W-WHAT?!" shrieked Gary. Red's jaw dropped.

* * *

"WHAT?!" shrieked Dawn.

* * *

"WHAT?!" shrieked both Serena and Ethan. "ASH?!"

"I don't know who Ash is, but I'm guessing he's not very good." said Lyra.

"Ash can barely catch a floaty beach ball, let alone a speeding soccer ball!" cried Ethan. "Is this a joke?!"

"He's one of the least coordinated people I've ever met!" cried Serena. "_Why on earth _is he the spare goalkeeper?! Who's idea was _that?!_"

"Uh, heheh, mine... This is kind of my doing." chuckled May sheepishly. "One day I was home alone, and I was thinking about our future, especially college. In this deep thought session, I realized that Ash would need extracurricular activities to strengthen his college resume. I talked to him about it. Of course he was against the idea of participating in sports, because you guys are right, sometimes it's a miracle for Ash to even walk in a straight line without tripping over a rock or something. But after some... persuasion, I convinced him to try. I told him that being the spare goalkeeper for the soccer team would be perfect, because Paul is tough as nails and probably wouldn't ever get hurt, meaning Ash would get all the credit of being on a sports team, without actually doing anything. He agreed, and reluctantly joined the team. For the whole season, he's been the spare goalkeeper. And it was going pretty well too... and now, on the last game of the season, Paul is hurt... and Ash is being sent onto the field..."

"First off," started Serena. "With Ash's grades, he can get into any college or university he wants, regardless of whether he does sports or not. Second, he runs the Computer Club, which is an extracurricular activity. You said you were in deep thought, but clearly you weren't thinking that deep, May."

"I know..." said May, ashamed.

"It's okay May, we all make mistakes." said Ethan as he slowly placed his arm around May's shoulder. May slapped his arm off before it could fully rest on her shoulders. Ethan whimpered in pain.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" asked Lyra, glaring at Ethan. "If this Ash guy is really as bad as you all say, there's no way he's gonna be able to swat the ball away."

"I think he will." said May firmly.

"Please May, enlighten us." said Serena. "Why do you think he will?"

"Look at his hat." said May confidently.

Everyone looked at the screen, which still had Ash on it. May smiled, Serena gasped, Ethan's eyes widened, and Lyra tilted her head in confusion.

"His hat is backwards." stated Lyra as if it were no big deal.

S"Yes," said May. "Yes it is."

* * *

Ash entered the goal, his face still serious. While his facial expression may have fooled everyone else, he was freaking out on the inside. The amount of people watching... the weight of the situation... they were getting to his head, building more and more nervousness. His hands began to tremble, but he refused to let his nervousness take over. He took a deep breath, and looked Blue in the eyes.

"Wow, Ash Ketchum, the twin brother of Red Ketchum, has taken over for Paul Shinji, and he looks ready to block anything!" announced Jim.

"Fuck yeah Jim, he looks pretty damn solid. All he's gotta do is block this one goal, and the Rhyhorns go home with their third championship trophy in a row. But he's gotta be careful. This Blue punk not only shares the facial features of Rhyhorn striker Gary Oak, he also has a similar playing style. He's definitely gonna try to play some shitty mind-games with Ash!"

"Well, here we go, the ref seems ready to blow the whistle!" said Jim.

The referee nodded and blew the whistle. Instead of immediately running to the ball and kicking it, Blue started waving his arms upwards, signalling the crowd to start cheering louder. Everyone int the stadium did just that, cheer louder. Everyone except the Pallet Town Rhyhorns, who were watching closely. They were all on their knees, their arms around each other's shoulders. Some of them had their eyes closed, and others had their eyes glued to the goal. Red, who was at the end of the line, was biting his nails out of nervousness. He had already bitten all of his, and was seriously considering biting the nails off of Gary's hands too. He was _that _nervous_._

"Well, we're fucked." muttered Gary under his breath.

* * *

"Come on Ash.. you can do it..." mumbled Serena.

"Please... please..." whispered May.

"Don't fuck this up... you'd never live it down, man..." muttered Ethan.

Lyra looked around, not knowing what to say. "Um... Go Ash?"

* * *

Ash watched as Blue continued to stir up the crowd. He was already nervous enough, and this wasn't helping.

"Hey!" called Ash. Blue, who's back was turned to Ash, turned around. Ash waved at him. "Just kick the ball already."

Blue glared at Ash and walked up to the start line. He backed up, and got a complete sprinting start. Ash braced himself, and kept his eyes on the ball. Blue's foot met the ball, and it soared straight towards the goal. Ash could almost feel his whole life flashing before his eyes as the ball flew towards him. He closed his eyes and jumped towards the ball, hoping he'd block it. Red and Gary also closed their eyes, unable to watch.

...

Pain. Pure, sharp, radiating pain. Ash crumpled to the floor, his eyes wide, his mouth wide open. The only sound coming out of his mouth was a quiet, high pitched squeaking noise. His backwards hat fell off his head, and his hair cast a shadow over his eyes. Unable to do anything else, Ash slowly curled into a fetal position, writhing in pain. The ball had hit him. In the balls. And this wasn't some measly tap. This was a direct hit, with a soccer ball, an object categorized as a weapon of mass destruction when it came to hitting crotches. Every male in the crowd grimaced, knowing the unfathomable pain Ash was most definitely feeling. But to Ash, it was okay, because what he heard next made the pain semi-worth it.

"WOW! ASH KETCHUM IS ONE HARDCORE SON-OF-A-GUN FOLKS! UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING ELSE, HE RISKED THE CHANCE OF NEVER HAVING CHILDREN BY STOPPING THE BALL; WITH HIS BALLS!" roared Jim.

"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL TAKING ONE FOR THE FUCKING TEAM!" shouted Tim. "THERE THEY ARE PEOPLE, THE PALLET TOWN RHYHORNS, YOUR 3-TIME UNDEFEATED CHAMPIONS!"

Red and Gary opened their eyes after hearing that. Silver and red confetti was falling from the top of the stadium, and red and silver fireworks were exploding in the night skies above. The two teens looked at each other, wide eyed. They both looked at Ash, and saw that the ball wasn't in the goal. They both grinned and sprinted towards Ash, followed by the rest of the Rhyhorns.

Ash, who was barely recovering from his traumatic experience, looked up, and saw the whole team (except for Paul who was smiling on the sidelines) rushing towards him, led by Red and Gary. Ash tried to stand up, but was tackled back onto the ground by Red and Gary. The rest of the team soon did the same. Ash was completely buried.

* * *

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed May, startling everyone else in the room. She stood to her feet and starting running around the room, a her hair bouncing in all sorts of directions."HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT HE DID IT!"

Lyra, Serena, and Ethan simply exhaled in relief, glad that Ash didn't mess it up. But apparently, that wasn't enough for May. She skipped over to Serena and grabbed her hands, pulling her to her feet. Serena shrieked, her hat slipping downwards, covering her face.

"ARE YOU HAPPY SERENA?!" asked May.

"Yes." answered Serena, adjusting her hat.

"ARE YOU HAPPY SERENA?!" repeated May, even louder than before.

"Yes!" repeated Serena, with more energy. "Yes I am happy!"

"THEN DANCE WITH MEEEEE!" cheered May as she and Serena jumped up and down. "WEEEEEEE!"

While May and Serena jumped around in joy, Ethan stared at the floor, a sad look on his face. Lyra noticed and sat next to him.

"What's wrong, babe?" she asked, putting an arm around Ethan.

"Poor Ash." said Ethan quietly, removing his gold and black hat in respect. "He's lucky to be alive after a blow like that."

"Yeah... that was like, a bull's eye hit. You think he'll ever be able to walk again?" asked Lyra.

"Nope." said Ethan, shaking his head.

"Not for a while." answered Serena seriously. Her jumping with May abruptly ended when Ethan brought up Ash's... unfortunate fate.

"They should prooooobably put him in a wheelchair." laughed May. "I'm sure he's still feeling it."

"Yup." said Ethan.

"I agree." replied Lyra.

"Yeah." said Serena.

* * *

Though the dog-pile on Ash had ended, all the members of the Pallet Town Rhyhorns were still crowded around him. He was receiving pats on the back, playful punches in the arm and hugs.

"Nice job Ashy-boy, I never doubted ya for a second." lied Gary, his arm around Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah sure." laughed Ash, knowing that Gary's statement was nowhere near true.

"Damn Ash, you've got balls of steel... literally." complimented Ritchie.

"Don't remind me..." muttered Ash. He was still feeling faint pain.

"Gwood johb Ash." said Drew, his voice muffled by the bandages that covered majority of his face. Then, from what seemed out of thin air, Drew pulled out a rose. he handed it to Ash. Ash blinked a couple times, and then took the rose.

"Uhhh, thanks... Drew." said Ash awkwardly. "But...um, I'm not ga-"

"It'sh naht for _you_." said Drew. "It'sh for May. You're her besht fwend, right?"

"I'm her boyfriend." said Ash, his voice stale. "And she's allergic to roses."

Drew's eyes widened, and then he looked at his feet.

"Oh." he said.

Drew walked away. From behind Drew, Red appeared. He walked up to Ash and looked him in the eye. Ash simply stared back, an eyebrow raised. Red smirked, and stuck his fist out. Ash looked at the fist, then at Red. He smiled, and bumped his own fist with Red's. Red was going to pull Ash into a hug, but before he could, another person came to congratulate Ash. A certain blonde haired, blue eyed teen.

"Wow Ash. That was some save." said a Naruto, lightly jabbing Ash's shoulder. "Y'know... I'm starting to think that you should become Hokage instead of me..."

...

"What?" asked Ash, completely confused.

Naruto did some quick hand signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ash looked at the other people surrounding him, hoping that they understood what had just happened. Everyone looked just as confused.

"I don't think I've ever seen that kid before in my life." said Barry.

A bunch of "yeah"s and "me neither"s were heard.

"WOULD THE PALLET TOWN RHYHORNS PLEASE REPORT TO CENTER FIELD!" yelled a referee.

Everyone turned to center field, and saw the Lavender Town Haunters lined up. Led by Red and Ash, the Rhyhorns jogged towards the center of the field, and lined up next to the Haunters. Once both teams were lined up, the lines passed each other, every member of each team having to shake every member of the other team's hand. The captains were at the end of each line, so the final handshake was between Red and Hilbert.

The two rivals looked each other in the eyes. Red smirked and put his hand out for Hilbert to shake. Hilbert growled and tightly shook Red's hand, having to restrain himself from possibly ripping Red's hand off.

"Next year, Ketchum." whispered Hilbert through gritted teeth. "Next. Damn. Year."

Red simply snorted, and watched as Hilbert and the Haunters silently walked into the locker rooms. He was in a good mood.

"Now, the time has come to award the Championship Trophy to this year's Most Valuable Player!" said Jim. "Redwood Ketchum, please step forward!"

"Oof, big fucking surprise." commented Tim.

An old man holding a large golden trophy walked onto the field, and Red began to walk towards him. But halfway there, Red paused and turned around. He looked at Ash, and gestured for him to come along. Ash pointed at himself, his eyes wide.

Red smiled and nodded.

Ash ran over to Red, and together, the brothers walked to the old man. When they reached their destination, the old man smiled.

"You boys... are brothers, correct?" asked the man.

"Yes sir, we are." said Ash, while Red nodded.

"That's wonderful. You see, brotherhood is a lot like teamwork, and today, I witnessed some of the greatest teamwork in my life. You and your teammates gave it your all, and in the end, you succeeded against a foe with strength greater or equal to yours. You," said the old man, pointing to Red. "were right to call your brother to come here with you. In my book, you boys are both the Most Valuable Players."

Ash and Red both grinned and adjusted their hats, flattered by the old man's words. The old man reached his hand out for the boys to shake. Red shook it first, then Ash. The man smiled, and handed them the trophy. It had two handles. Red grabbed one, and Ash grabbed the other. They both turned towards their teammates and lifted the trophy into the air, smiles on their faces. The rest of the team cheered for them, and so did everyone else in the stadium. The cheers were deafening, but they were oh so sweet.

* * *

"Y'know, you girls are really lucky." said Lyra wistfully, staring at Ash and Red's smiling faces on the screen. "They're both really attractive. I wouldn't mind dating Ash or Red for a day..."

Ethan's jaw dropped, his brain not able to comprehend what he had just heard. He stared at Lyra, unable to form words. May and Serena giggled.

"Thanks Lyra." said Serena. "Ethan's... a rare one too."

"Oh there's no need to lie. I know Ethan's a pig." laughed Lyra. Ethan made a sad moaning noise, actual hurt visible in his eyes. Lyra gave him a quick peck on the lips and smiled. "But he's my pig, so it's okay."

"Well guys, I guess..." May was going to finish her sentence, but she trailed off when Ethan pulled Lyra into a sloppy kiss. May and Serena uncomfortably watched as Ethan and Lyra seemed to forget all about them. May uncomfortably looked at Serena, who looked just as uncomfortable. "Let's get out of here."

Serena nodded and slowly stood up. The girls tip-toed out of the room, with perfect timing too, because right after they left, the moaning started.

* * *

The Rhyhorns rode the bus ride home in silence. Every single member of the team had fallen asleep, the events of the day burning out all their energy. Finally, when they arrived back at Pallet Town High, everyone woke up. They all stood from their bus seats and gathered their belongings. But before the bus driver opened the door to let them out, someone spoke up.

"One!" shouted Gary.

"HURRAH!" yelled the team, louder than ever.

"Two!"

"HURRAH HAH!"

"Three!"

"HURRAH HAH HAH!"

"Hahaha, FOUR!"

"HURRAH RAH HA HAH!"

"Who's victory?!" yelled Gary.

"OUR VICTORY!" replied the team.

"Who's trophy?!"

"OUR TROPHY!"

"Rhyhorns!" growled Gary, looking around at his teammates. "WHAT HAVE WE DONE?!"

"WE HAVE WON!" shouted the team as the bus driver opened the door.

All the boys piled off the bus. It was a chilly night for summer, and after saying their goodbyes, everyone rushed into either their own cars, or their parents cars. Everyone except Ash, Red and Gary. Since Ash and Red were walking home anyway, they decided to stay on the front steps of the school and wait, to make sure everyone had a ride home safely before they left. Only Gary hadn't. While Red sat on the front steps of the school, polishing the championship trophy, Ash jogged over to Gary, who was still waiting in the parking lot.

"Hey Gary." said Ash, startling Gary.

"Oh shit! Don't sneak up on me like that, Ashy-boy." said Gary. "Why haven't you and Red left yet?"

"We were waiting for everyone else to leave. Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. My parents are watching a movie right now, so you should probably go home. I'll be waiting here for a while." said Gary.

"Waiting here, alone, in the dark is not a good idea." droned Ash.

"I can take anyone that comes my way. I'm a badass." laughed Gary.

"Mhmm..." hummed Ash in sarcastic concurrence. "Why don't you just spend the night with Red and I? You can go home tomorrow morning."

Gary pretended to think it over, but in actuality, he already had an answer to Ash's question before he even finished it.

"Aight. Let's go." said Gary.

* * *

"Y'know, that Lyra girl was right. We are pretty lucky." yawned Serena. She and May were in their new pajamas that they had bought the day before. May was wearing red ones, and Serena was wearing pink ones.

"Yeah," agreed May tiredly. "We are."

"Red is really attractive, and, I'm going to regret saying this, Ash has come a long way regarding his looks. But besides their looks, they're just great guys overall. They're nice, and they treat us like princesses. I swear, sometimes I feel like if I told Red to jump into a volcano, he'd do it."

"Yeah. And they're both good kissers." added May.

"That they are..." agreed Serena. "That they are. And they're both talented. Red's so athletic... and Ash, well, I don't think I've ever met anyone as smart as him. He's a real genius."

"You know what I've noticed?"

"What?" asked Serena.

"They're different, but alike at the same time. Like, Ash and Red look nothing alike, yet they both look the same when they smile. They have different interests, but are both incredibly talented at said interests. Their personalities are different, but they both put their girlfriends before almost everything else. Y'know, I'm starting to think that _they're _out of _our _league."

"I've been thinking the same thing... There's this saying that in a relationship, one person has to settle, and the other has to reach. I think we're the ones reaching, and they're settling."

"Yeah, we don't really do much..." yawned May.

Suddenly, May's laptop began to beep. May quickly sat up from her bed and rushed to her computer.

"What's that?" asked Serena.

"It's my video chat ringtone." said May as she opened her laptop. She looked at the screen and gasped. "It's Ash!"

"Pick up! Red's probably with him!" ordered Serena, hopping out of her bed and sitting beside May. "Do I look okay?"

"Yeah, you look fine!" answered May. "What about me? Do I look good."

"Fine! Now answer them!" yelled Serena. She then noticed the background of May's computer. It was a picture of a Abraham Lincoln riding a T-Rex vs. a giant pink teddy bear. Serena looked at May with a straight face. "Why is your background-"

"That's not important right now!" said May as she accepted the call.

Gary's face popped up on the screen. May and Serena simply stared at the screen, confusion overtaking their minds.

"Gary?!" shrieked both girls.

"The one and only." laughed Gary. "You two were probably expecting Ash and Red huh?"

"Well, yeah!" said May.

"Where are they?" asked Serena.

"Who needs them, you've got enough sexy and badass right here!" joked Gary.

"Gary, what are you doing?" asked a deep voice.

"That's Ash's voice!" said May.

"Yeah, yeah, they're right here." said Gary, leaving the screen.

There was a pause, and then Ash and Red's faces invaded the screen. They both smiled, proving what May said to be true. They really did look alike when they smiled.

"Hey." said Ash. Red waved.

"Hi." said May sheepishly, while Serena waved back at Red.

"We're really tired..." yawned Ash. "So unfortunately, we can't talk for long..."

"It's okay," said Serena. "You guys have had a rough day."

"Yeah... we promise we'll video chat tomorrow, but before we say goodnight, on behalf of Red and I, I want to thank both of you." said Ash. Red nodded.

"Thank... us?" asked May.

"Yes. May, I love you. Yeah, you convinced me to be the spare goalkeeper, and yeah, because of that I ended up getting shot in the balls with a hard soccer ball. But in the end, we won because of you convincing me to do it. I don't think the outcome would have been the same if you didn't talk to me before I was called out. You give me strength when I need it the most, and really, I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes. You're beautiful inside and out, and I can't wait for you to come back from your vacation so I can give you a big, warm hug."

By the end of Ash's mini speech, May's eyes were shiny with tears. "I love you too Ashy. And when I get back, I'll make sure to give you the tightest hug of your life."

"I look forward to it." said Ash with a warm smile. "As for you Serena, Red has written something to say to you. I will be reading it aloud in what I think Red would sound like if he had a voice. Ready?"

"Ready." said Serena.

"Dear Serena," started Ash in a voice that sounded like a cross between Super Mario and Darth Vader. Serena, May and Gary laughed, while Red glared daggers at Ash. "I love you more than anything! There are so many times that you've pulled me out of deep depressions and fits of rage. To be honest, I don't really understand what you see in me, because I know if I was a girl, I wouldn't date me. But somehow, you put up with me, and love me. Thanks for that, because if you weren't around, who knows how or where I'd be. I love you so, so, so, so, SO much. Oh yeah, Gary told be Dawn's been teasing you about your... curves. Just know that I think everything about you is the perfect size and shape. Love ya!"

"I love you more, Red." answered Serena. her eyes also getting teary. "I love you more."

Red grinned.

"Well," yawned Ash. "That's all from us tonight. Goodnight May, Serena. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Ashy. Good night Red." said May.

"Sweet dreams guys." said Serena.

May closed her laptop, and after a few minutes of weeping, the girls returned to their beds. No words were spoken, and both girls seemed to be totally fine with the silence. May turned off the lamp, leaving the sisters in darkness. So much had happened during the day. It was one giant emotional roller-coaster, but fortunately, it had a happy end.

"Hey Serena." said May.

"Hmm?"

"Maybe our relationships with Ash and Red are different."

"How so?"

"Maybe there isn't a settler and reacher in our relationships. Maybe... maybe it's equal."

"Yeah," said Serena with a smile. "I think you're right."

* * *

**Okay. So, that's the end of the main story of Pokemon: Brotherhood. There's two reasons that I want everyone to read this. Here's the first.  
**

**More info and rules about the one-shots.**

**I am well aware I left a few loose ends such as what Kenny's punishment is and whether Pokemon Blue is ever going to be published. I'll leave those to your imagination, or, you can send a one-shot request for them.  
**

**For any of you who want a one-shot that takes place in college, just know that Ash, Red, May and Serena would all go to the same college.**

**Lemons can be between anyone, but no incest, gay, or lesbian ones. I've got nothing agains the LGBT community, I'm just not comfortable writing about that. No threesomes of foursomes either. I struggle enough writing 2-people lemons, let alone 3 or 4.**

**The one-shots will not be any longer that 7,000 words each, so please, try to keep the plots fairly simple.**

**Finally, there will only be 8 one-shots. This is due to a multitude of reasons which I don't feel like explaining.**

**...**

**Now, the other reason I want you all to read this is to give you all a heads up. With this story meeting its end, a new one is on the horizon. If you guys liked this story, you will definitely love my next one, as it will have the same type of romance this one has. It is called Pokemon: Divinus, and the summary is on my profile in the Coming Soon section. If all goes well, the first chapter for that story will be out before the end of the month. **

**Finally, one more thing: I want to thank all of you who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. I still think of myself as new to writing fanfictions, as it hasn't even been a year since I started writing. This story has been my most successful one yet, and to be honest, I was taken aback by all the positive feedback. You're all awesome, and it's been a blast reading all the reviews. Be sure to PM me some good one-shot ideas! Later!  
**

**~DarkSlash9**


	12. Lovers

**Hello everybody! Here we are, the first of my eight one-shots. The plot of this one was requested by many different people, so I mashed up their ideas into one one-shot.**** It's a lemon, Ash x May.**

** I said it before, but just a reminder. These one-shots will be no more than 7000 words. This one is 5,400 words long. Yeah I know, nowhere near as long as the last few chapters for this story were, but hey, they're one-shots. I can't really imagine myself writing one any longer than 7,000 words.**

**Make sure to read the Author's Note at the end for a hint at what the next one-shot is about****!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**One-shot 1**

Lovers

* * *

It was a warm, July afternoon. Ash, Red, Serena and May had graduated from High School two months ago, and were preparing for college. They had all decided that they'd go to the same college, that being the University of Cinnabar Island. Luckily, they had all gotten admitted. They were scheduled to move in there around the end of August, which meant they had the whole summer to spend in Pallet Town. Though that was a day to look forward to, there was another important day coming up. The next day to be exact. July 16th, Ash and Red's birthday.

Of course, May and Serena had already thought of what to get them weeks in advance, but still, it didn't seem like enough. They were currently in Serena's car, on their way to the supermarket. Their mother had sent them grocery shopping, and demanded that Serena drive since it was safer. May had barely passed her driving test, and nobody, not even Ash, trusted her behind the wheel. They were both silent, Serena's eyes focused on the road, May's on the skies above. Both girls had grown, fully developing their womanly features. They were already 18, and they both looked it. They were still beautiful, but a different, more mature type of beautiful than they were when they were 16.

So there they were, the only noise in the car being the sound of the radio, which was barely audible.

"Hey Serena."

"Yeah?" answered Serena, her cyan eyes still looking at the road ahead.

"What are you doing for Ash and Red's 18th birthday tomorrow?" asked May.

"What do you mean?"

"What will you be doing with Red? A movie? A date? Amusement park?"

"We don't really have to do anything. We bought Ash a new laptop and got Red a $150 wrist watch. Isn't that enough?"

"Oh, don't try to fool me Serena. I know you're doing something else."

"I don't know what you're talking about." denied Serena.

"You've got something planned, I know you do. I heard you talking to Dawn on the phone a couple days ago. You said you wanted to surprise him. And then Dawn gave you some idea, and you agreed to it."

"So you were eavesdropping on me?" asked Serena.

"Yeah, I was." answered May, unashamed.

There was a pause. Serena had not said anything after that. She seemed to grip the steering wheel of the car a little tighter, her eyes narrowing a bit. They had just entered the parking lot of the supermarket, and Serena quickly found a parking spot. She turned off the car, and remained in her seat, not getting out of the car. May looked at her, her head tilted. She was about to say something, but Serena spoke before she did.

"Do you really want to know what I'm doing tomorrow?" asked Serena.

"Yeah."

Serena took a deep breath. "*sigh*... I'm giving my virginity to Red tomorrow."

"HUH?!" shrieked May, her eyes wide.

"What?" asked Serena, stepping out of the car. "You knew it had to be related to sex if Dawn gave me the idea."

"Yeah but... wow. I just didn't think you'd... wow." giggled May as she got out of the car.

"I've wanted it for a while... but whenever we get... intense, we never end up going all the way." said Serena, grabbing a shopping cart. She had a serious face on. "So I'm going to make sure we do it tomorrow. We've been dating for almost 2 years. I'm ready for it, and I'm sure he is too."

"Damn... you sound determined." observed May, pushing the door of the supermarket open. "Where are you going to do it?"

"My room of course. Tomorrow morning Mom, Dad, and Max are driving all the way to Johto for that summer camp that Max is going to. They won't be back until late at night. Whatever you're doing with Ash tomorrow, please just don't do it at home. I really don't want anyone in the house."

"Sure, no problem." said May as the sisters entered the cereal aisle.

"So," said Serena as she grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes. "What are _you_ going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know..." grumbled May frustratedly.

She wanted to do _something, _but she couldn't think of anything. All she knew was that she wanted to top Serena, but how could she top what Serena was doing for Red? It was seen by most as the ultimate gift. Bur just then, a light-bulb turned on within May's brain. The perfect idea had come up, and she couldn't help but smile darkly. She had just thought of the perfect way to both beat Serena and make Ash happy. Serena noticed the dark grin her sister wore and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with your face? You look like you like The Joker." observed Serena. "What have you got planned?"

"Oh nothing..." answered May, looking away. "Nothing at all..."

"Okay... So if you've got 'nothing' planned, what are you going to do with Ash tomorrow?"

"Meh, I'm probably just gonna spend the whole day with him. Maybe go to the video game store, buy a couple of games, and play them with him all day."

"That sounds fun." asked Serena, picking up a 2-liter bottle of Coca Cola.

"Yupyupyup. Hey, I don't want to be annoying, but can we speed this shopping up a bit?" asked May impatiently.

"Why? It's only 3:30." asked Serena, raising an eyebrow.

"I just realized that I have somewhere to be today... and I don't want to be late..." said May, a dark grin on her face once again.

* * *

"Red, just go already." sighed Ash, pushing Red out the front door. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Red had an appointment with the family dentist, one of the few things that absolutely terrified Red. He had a cavity, and he had to get a filling in the tooth. Of course, a filling meant that a dental drill would be used, and that was exactly what scared Red the most. He had refused to leave the house, completely ignoring Delia's pleas to just get it over with. He had hidden in every area imaginable, refusing to get in the car. Finally, Ash decided enough was enough. With Ash's help, Delia was able to restrain Red. They had tied his hands together, and were escorting him to the car. Delia opened the door, and Ash pushed Red into the car. Red looked deep into Ash's eyes, expressing how betrayed he felt. Ash simply snorted and closed the door.

"Bye Mom." called Ash as he walked back into the house.

"Bye Ash! We'll be back around... um, what time is it now?"

"4:27 PM." answered Ash, looking at a clock.

"Okay, we'll be back around 8:00 then! Try not to burn down the house!"

"K."

Ash closed the door, and waited until he heard Red and Delia drive away. As soon as they were gone, Ash ran up to the bathroom and took a shower. With Red and Delia gone, Ash decided it was the perfect opportunity to either have May over, or go to her house. As soon as he finished showering, he brushed his teeth and shaved. Yes, shaved. Ash had grown a few whiskers on the sides of his face. They were barely noticeable, but somehow, May always noticed when he didn't shave. Once he finished that, he combed his hair. Or at least attempted to comb his hair. No matter how much he combed it, it refused to stay neat. It seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Fuck it." swore Ash frustratedly as he threw the comb across the room.

He went to his room, and put on some nice, casual clothing. A red hat, a short-sleeved blue jacket, blue jeans and red sneakers (his Kalos outfit in the anime minus the gloves). He made sure to spray some cologne on himself as well, but not too much, only enough so that May would smell it if she hugged him. He had learned that May seemed to like it more when his cologne was a faint smell, not one that she could smell as soon as he entered the room.

He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled confidently. With his outfit complete, he grabbed his car keys and his wallet off his bed and walked down the stairs. He decided that he'd go to May's house and surprise her instead of inviting her over. But right when he was about to open the door, someone knocked on it from the other side. He shrugged his shoulders and opened the door.

Much to his surprise, May was there. She looked beautiful, and it was clear she had put just as much effort into her appearance as Ash had. While it was a surprise to see May at his front door at such a random time, he was even more surprised at what he saw on his front lawn. The mailbox was broken, letters and magazines scattered across the front lawn.

"Hi Ashy!" said May, placing a quick kiss on Ash's lips.

"Hey. Ummm... You wanna tell me what happened to my mailbox?" asked Ash, his eyes still on the destroyed object.

"Oh... I might have crashed into it." whispered May. "Please don't tell your mom."

"Don't worry, I won't. But this is a perfect example of why I don't let you drive me anywhere." laughed Ash. "Y'know, this kind of funny, I was just about to drive over to your house to hang out with you."

"Oh really? That's nice. Hey, is your mom home?"

"No." answered Ash.

"How about Red?"

"Nope."

"Where did they go?"

"Dentist."

"How long will they be gone?"

"3 hours."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"How far away is the dentist?"

"Cerulean City."

"Mhmhmhmhmhm... Perrrrrrrrrrrfect..." laughed May evilly, rubbing her hands together.

"Perfect for what?" asked Ash innocently. "What's wrong with your face? You look like The Jok-"

May wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and pulled him into a kiss. As she kissed him, she pushed forward, telling Ash to let her into the house. Ash did just that, and began to walk backwards, allowing May to walk into the house. She kicked the door closed, and made sure to lock it, all while kissing Ash. They silently agreed on walking their way over to the couch, but Ash ended up tripping over a rug half way there. He fell backwards onto the floor, and May fell on top of him. This caused an abrupt end to the kiss.

"So, is this what you want to do for 3 hours?" asked Ash huskily.

"More or less." purred May. "Well actually, more. _Much, much _more."

Without even getting off the floor, they continued to kiss. May snaked her hands up to his raven hair, running her small fingers through it. This, of course, resulted in Ash's hat being knocked off his head. Ash retaliated by untying her bandana and tossing it away. Making out with May was always a good time for Ash. He was having the time of his life, but he couldn't deny the fact that kissing on the floor was pretty uncomfortable for him. So he reluctantly ended the kiss. May opened her eyes when he did so, and she looked a little frustrated when she did.

"Sorry. It's just that doing this on the floor really hurts my ba-"

"Yeah, I get it." snapped May. She quickly stood up and pulled Ash off the ground. "Come on, let's go to your room!"

"Okay, okay." said Ash, following her up the stairs. "What's the rush?"

"I really don't want to waste any time." answered May cryptically.

"Waste time for what?"

"You'll see." said May as she pushed the door of Ash and Red's room open.

She grabbed Ash's hand and led him to his bed. She then pushed him onto the bed, and slowly climbed on top of him, in the same manner a lioness would slowly approach her prey. Ash just stared at her, wide eyed. She had never done that to him before. May simply stared back, a seductive smile on her face. Ash nervously smiled back, still unaware of her true intentions. May had decided that the only way to top what Serena was doing to Red was to do the same thing to Ash. First. She planned on having sex with Ash, right then and there. Sure, it was a hasty decision, but May wasn't really one for caution and planning. She preferred to just do things immediately and think later. She had never really thought about having sex before, but as soon as Serena revealed her plans for Red, she realized that she wanted to do it as well.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Ash's face and passionately kissed him. This kiss was a lot less messy and wild as the first. It was a sensual one, filled with love and emotion. Ash kissed back, enjoying this type of kiss even more than the first. They continued like that for a while, until a certain yellow pokemon interrupted.

"Pika!" chirped Pikachu happily, hopping out from under Ash's bed to greet May.

May wasted no time in grabbing an empty pokeball from the side of Ash's bed and throwing it at Pikachu, capturing the electric rodent. Ash stared at her in awe. She had just done something that he struggled to do every time he tried.

"Wow May, that was amaz-"

May pulled Ash back into the passionate kiss. Ash kissed back, and as he expected, he felt May's tongue trying to enter his mouth. He gladly let it in, letting the couple of 1 and a half years' tongues dance with eachother. May noticed Ash's mouth tasted like mint, and Ash noticed that May's did as well. It seemed they both had brushed their teeth beforehand. This turned them both on. Ash's hands had snaked to May's hips, holding them firmly, while May's were still in his hair. Suddenly, Ash felt one of May's hands leave his hair. May's hand slowly traveled down to Ash's waist, and smoothly slipped under his shirt. She began to rub his chest. Ash was once again surprised. She had never done that before either.

The kissing continued. Red's Raichu emerged from under Red's bed, and the first thing he saw was Ash and May. He decided to just leave the room, leaving the couple to be alone.

The couple's kiss was still a passionate one, and May had begun to moan. She began to slowly grind her hips on Ash, and that's when he drew the line. It's not that he didn't like the feeling, he did. But it was just that May had never done _that _to him before either. He separated his lips from May's and opened his eyes. May's eyes opened as well.

"I'm sorry for stopping, but you've been very... sexy today." he said.

May's sapphire eyes gazed into his brown ones for a few seconds before answering.

"Ash, I love you. Do you love me?"

"Of course," he said immediately. "more than my computer."

"I... I want you."

"But you already _have_ me." chuckled Ash, slightly confused. "You've had me for almost two years."

"No... I _want _you." said May, putting extra emphasis on the 'want'.

Ash looked at her for a second, and then he understood what she meant. His eyes widened, and his mouth cracked open a bit. Like May, had never really thought about it before. He was well aware that Gary and Dawn were very sexually active, but whenever Gary told... stories, he wouldn't really pay attention. But now that May had actually brought it up, he did notice it was the only thing they hadn't done together. And he also noticed his desire to do it too. He began to get excited. The same excitement a 5-year old gets when they wake up on Christmas.

"Oh." he said, trying to keep his cool.

"Yeah..." said May, who was surprisingly relaxed about the subject. "So, do _you_ want _me_?"

"O-of course I do... it's just... it's a little sudden, but I guess I'm ready. But only if you are." said Ash, trying not to sound too eager. He had to think about her as well.

"I'm ready." said May confidently.

"Okay then... So um, how do we get starte-"

May pulled Ash back into the passionate kiss, and this time, she didn't hold anything back. She quickly unzipped Ash's blue jacket, only for there to be a black t-shirt underneath. Ash saved her the trouble by taking that off by himself. Since Ash had paused the kiss to take his shirt off, May began to take her own shirt off, but Ash refused to wait any longer. He pulled her back into the kiss, her shirt still in her hands. She quickly threw it across the room. She was surprised that Ash pulled her back in so roughly; she expected that she'd have to be the one to get things rolling, but there he was, slowly but surely taking charge.

Realizing they wouldn't be able to take off their pants in their current position, Ash sat up, his back leaning against the wooden headboard of his bed. He carried May up with him, not wanting to break the kiss. They didn't really know how, but somehow, Ash removed his pants and May removed her shorts, all without breaking the kiss.

Wanting to keep the momentum, Ash set his sights on his next target. May's red bra. His hands slowly crawled up to her back, meeting the intricate puzzle that was a bra hook. Ash tried to get it off, but he began to panic.

_"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit how the hell do I do this?! Come on, think think think... what would Gary do?"_

He then relaxed, and thought about all the times Gary had told him about his sexual escapades with Dawn. And then, he remembered the perfect story.

***small flashback***

_"Listen here Ashy-boy. Let little old Gary Motherfucking Oak tell you a thing or two about taking off a woman's brassiere, or 'bra' for short. Trust me, you'll need this advice when you finally become a REAL man." said Gary, putting an arm around Ash. "Trust me, Dawn loves it when I do this to her..."  
_

_"Okay..." said Ash, who was reading a book._

_*Gary passes on his secret methods to Ash*_

***End of flashback*  
**

Using the Gary Motherfucking Oak method, Ash quickly removed May's bra. It fell off. But since he was still kissing May with his eyes closed, he couldn't see her exposed chest. But he could feel them. He'd felt them before, just never with his hands. May seemed to have no objections as Ash's hands cupped each of her breasts. He gently squeezed them, in awe by the feel of them. Ash had a vast vocabulary, but he just couldn't find the right word to accurately describe them. They were neither soft nor firm. They were the perfect in-between, and they felt absolutely amazing. One of his thumbs accidentally brushed one of her nipples, and her breathing immediately hitched.

Ash immediately withdrew his hand, thinking he had hurt her. But May grabbed his hand and pressed it back onto her breast, implying that she enjoyed the feeling. Ash was more than happy to pleasure her more, using his thumbs to play around with both her nipples. The sensation was so new to May that she had broken their heated kiss just so she could moan out loud, her eyes closed tightly. She continued to moan, and that only turned Ash on more. But his lips began to grow bored, so he began kissing the crook of her neck, allowing her to moan all she wanted, while he still got the pleasure of having his mouth attached to her.

Even though May was moaning loudly, her brain was still functional, not overtaken by the euphoria just yet. He hands shakily made their may to Ash's boxers. There was a button on the front, keeping his privacy contained. But it was barely doing it's job, because there was a large mound behind the button, pushing the its limits. May decided to put the lone button out of its misery by unbuttoning it. Immediately, Ash's manhood fell out, no longer contained by the button. She wasn't too surprised by the sight of it; she'd seen her fair share of penises in both health class, and the dirty pictures that Dawn would often try to show her. She didn't have a ruler, but she could tell that Ash was slightly above average.

She grabbed it, and got an immediate reaction from Ash. His eyes quickly opened, and he stared off into the distance. He then closed his eyes, and continued pleasuring May. May took this as a green light to start stroking. Ash had been relatively silent from the start, but that changed when May started stroking his length. He let out a few deep, husky groans every once in a while, and his fondling of May's breasts and nipples had gotten rougher. May concluded that his actions meant that she was doing a good job, so she picked up the pace. This time, Ash let out a groan slightly louder than the previous ones.

"You like that... don't you?" gasped May in between moans.

"Y-yess... I ugh.. doooo..." slurred Ash as he continued to kiss the crook of May's neck. "D-dont... stop..."

Through the intense pleasure, Ash was able to realize that currently, May was pleasuring him more than he was to her. So he decided to switch up his tactics. He pulled May closer to him, forcing her to sit up more. Now her breasts were directly in front of his face. He sucked on one while groping the other with his hands.

"OOOHHHHH..." moaned May, the feeling of Ash's tongue working wonders on her nipple.

But Ash wasn't done. His free hand reached down to May's panties, the only article of clothing she had left. They were soaked. He didn't take them off just yet though; he instead began to rub May's entrance with his fingers.

"ASSSSHHHHHH... pleeeaasseee..." screamed May, her grip around Ash's manhood tightening.

"Please... what?" asked Ash seriously, removing his mouth from her breast. It was a serious question.

"Make me yours!" she cried.

"You're already... mine..." answered Ash huskily. "But I know what you mean."

With just the right amount of force, Ash leaned forward, and May fell onto her back. His eyes immediately locked on to her drenched panties. He looked May in the eyes, asking for permission to take them off. May, who was breathing heavily, nodded. Ash wasted no time in removing the underwear, allowing his eyes to gaze on what he thought was perfection; May's body, fully naked. Her body was beautiful, in every sense of the word. After throwing her underwear across the room, he arched his body over May's, positioning his length in front of her entrance. His face was directly over May's, allowing him to look her straight in the eye.

"May..." he said, breathing heavily. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes... I'm sure." panted May with a small smile. "I love you."

"I love you too. Are you ready? It's going to hurt."

"I know. I'm ready."

Ash nodded his head, closed his eyes, and pushed himself into her. They both exhaled in pure bliss as soon as their organs made first contact.

Ash let out a low moan. It felt absolutely amazing. As soon as he entered, her wet muscles tightened around his length, creating a tight yet comfortable grip. He pushed on forward, but when he had reached the halfway point, he reached the dreaded wall of flesh. May's hymen. The symbol of her virginity. Ash looked her in the eye one last time, and she nodded reassuringly.

"I'm sorry, May." said Ash as he broke May's hymen.

May immediately cried out in pain, her arms wrapping tightly around Ash's back. Ash winced at the sound of her screams, but both teens knew there was no going back after that. Ash pushed on forward, til his full length was inside May's canal. He then pulled back, and pushed again, back and forth, back and forth. Much to Ash's relief, May's screams slowly morphed from screams of pain into moans of ecstasy.

"You can... go faster.. now..." moaned May.

Ash did just that, picking up the speed a little bit. It was still a slow pace, but it was much faster than what he was doing before. This being their first time, it wasn't long before he could feel pressure building up. But from what he could tell, May hadn't had an orgasm yet, and he wanted her to have one before he did. So he slowed down the pace again, allowing the pressure that was building within to decrease a bit. He lowered his face down to May's, capturing her lips with his own. May did her best to kiss back, but she had reached the point where her mind could barely process anything. With the pressure inside gone, Ash picked up the speed again, and suddenly, he felt May's body shudder. Her body clamped around his penis, and she let out a high pitched scream, her nails digging into Ash's back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" she wailed, as her juices began to leak out of her.

The sound of May calling his name sent Ash over the edge as well. He tried to slow down the pace, but he had reached The Point of No Return.

"M-may," he groaned. "I'm gonna-"

"Do it!" she screamed, still experiencing her orgasm.

Ash let out a loud grunt as he released, waves of pleasure crashing throughout his body. He screamed May's name, his hands gripping the sheets of his bed tightly. He didn't know how long an orgasm was supposed to last, but to him, it felt pretty long, and he absolutely loved every second of it. By the time it was over, he collapsed onto May, his face landing in between her breasts. Both of them were breathing heavily. One of May's arms was still around him Ash, while the other pet his unruly raven hair.

"I love you Ashy..." she whispered.

"I love you... too..." answered Ash, his voice muffled by May's boobs. Suddenly, his head shot up, his eyes wide. "OH MY GOD I DIDN'T PULL OU-"

"It's fine dummy, I'm on the pill." said May, pushing Ash''s face back into her boobs.

"Oh... okay..." said Ash in relief, his face falling back into May's chest. "So, I have a question."

"Hm?"

"Do you realize that what you just did was illegal?"

"What?"

"My birthday may be tomorrow, but regardless, I'm still 17. A minor. You're 18, which means you're no longer a minor. Having sex with a minor is illegal." laughed Ash.

"Oh well." yawned May. She closed her eyes. "I don't care."

"Neither do I..." yawned Ash.

No more words were said after that. The pair fell asleep, physically and mentally exhausted from their activity. Both of them had smiles on their faces as they drifted off into sleep, caught in each other's warm embrace.

* * *

"You see Red? It didn't even hurt. Your brother was right, you just made a big deal out of nothing." said Delia as their car pulled up to the front of the house.

The first thing they noticed was their destroyed mailbox. But then they noticed May's red Volkswagen Beetle, and they put two and two together.

"She should really retake her driving test..." muttered Delia. "Well Red, you can go inside. I have a Book Club meeting tonight, so I'm going straight to it. I won't be getting back for a couple more hours. Make sure Ash and May, especially May, didn't break anything else."

Red nodded and got out of the car. Delia drove away, leaving him alone. He walked up to the front door and tried to open it, but couldn't. It was locked. He dug into his pocket and took out his house keys. He entered the house, to find all the lights off. He turned them on, and of course, wondered where Ash was. He searched the whole first floor, and there was no sight of his twin brother anywhere. He was going to check the basement, but the door leading there was locked, which meant there was no way Ash could possible be down there either.

Red walked through the living room, heading towards the stairs. On the way there, he noticed something on the floor. It was Ash's hat, with May's bandana right next to it. Red picked up both of the items and looked at them. He shrugged his shoulders and threw them onto the couch. He continued towards the stairs. Halfway up the stairs, he heard snoring. He immediately concluded that Ash was taking a nap. He entered his and Ash's room. It was dark outside, and the lights were off in the room. It was too dark for him to see anything, but he could hear Ash's snoring, along with someone else's. Red concluded that it May's, and guessed they were taking a nap together.

Red was fine with that, and felt his way to the side of his bed, where his lamp was. Halfway there, his foot touched something. Something wet. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. Using the brightness of his screen as a flashlight, Red pointed his phone down at his foot to see what he had stepped on.

His eyes widened. They were panties.

Very slowly, he went to his phone's settings and increased the brightness of the screen. With his phone providing even more light, Red shakily pointed the screen towards Ash's bed.

He saw it. All of it. Ash, face down on top of May, his face nestled in between her breasts. They were both nude. Red closed his eyes, thinking the dentist's painkillers were screwing around with his mind. He opened them again, and nothing had changed. He wanted to look away, but found himself unable to. He stumbled backwards, and fell, landing on his own bed. Even when he was on his own bed, he scooted away from them, falling off of his bed. Even when he was on the floor, he continued to scoot away, until his back was to the wall. He stood, his eyes wide.

He kept on clinging to some hope that he was just imagining all of it. He decided to turn on the lights in the room, thinking that maybe his phone was playing tricks on him. So he turned on the light. Much to his surprise, nothing had changed! His jaw dropped in shock. May and Ash had had sex. He never thought they'd ever do it. They both seemed so innocent in his eyes. But there was another reason for his shock. He was slightly shocked and bothered that _Ash_ had gotten laid before he had.

Just then, he saw May begin to make sounds. She yawned, and her eyes cracked open. She looked downwards, and saw Ash's head of messy hair still on her chest. She smiled and pet his head. But she felt another presence in the room. She turned her head to the right, and saw Red, with a look of utter disbelief on his face. May's eyed widened. For a second, the two looked at each other. May slowly covered her chest with her hands, unintentionally waking Ash up. Ash's head slowly rose, and the first thing his eyes saw were May's eyes, only they weren't looking at him. They were looking at the door. Ash turned to the door and saw Red. Wide-eyed, Ash stared at Red, trying to think of a way to explain the... situation.

"Well, um, hey there R-Red! How was the dentist?"

* * *

**Well, that's that. May and Ash have finally had sex. Hurray. The next one-shot is going to take place the day after this one did. That should make it pretty obvious.**

**Bye-bye,**

**~DarkSlash9**


	13. Birthdays

**Hey. Yes, yes, I am aware if has been a month since I last updated this story. This past month has been very hectic, with a ridiculously loooooong list of things taking away from my time to write. And on top of that, I've just entered my Junior year of High School, which is by far the hardest year of High School, a fact I've learned the hard way. But as I've stated before, I'll never abandon any of my stories, so fear not. But enough babbling from me, I've kept you all waiting long enough. There's no Q&amp;A this time, so we're going straight to the one-shot. This one was requested by a cool guy by the pen-name of PolarDawn. It's a lemon, and it's between Red and Serena.  
**

**Read the Author's note at the end for a hint at what the next one-shot is about!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**One-shot 2**

Birthdays

* * *

Red was traumatized. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, and anyone that saw his eyes could see that he was deeply bothered. He had seen a sight that he wished he had never seen; Ash and May naked. He had been fairly emotionless since then, refusing to interact with anyone in the house. The events that transpired the evening before had been forever engraved in his mind, constantly replaying over and over, each time more vivid than the last, more and more details revealing themselves each time. He tried to forget it, but it just refused to leave. He was scarred... possibly for life.

"Red... can I come in?" asked a deep voice. "Make a sound for 'no', stay silent for 'yes'."

Red didn't move a muscle. He didn't remove his eyes from the ceiling.

The door slowly opened, and Ash timidly walked in. He had slept in the living room overnight, realizing that Red needed some space. They had not spoken since Red's discovery. Red's eyes narrowed, and he slowly turned his head to Ash. Ash nervously chuckled.

"Heheh... so um, well, first of all, Happy Birthday. We're 18 now... hurray." said Ash, awkwardly scratching his head. "Second, I'm going to be spending the day with May, so... um, seeya later."

Red stared at Ash a little longer before stiffly waving goodbye. Ash waved back and turned towards the door. Before exiting, Ash paused. Red raised an eyebrow.

"About what you um, discovered last night... I'm sorry that you had to see that, but..." said Ash hesitantly. He took a deep breath. "you're just jealous that I got laid first!"

The raven-haired teen then sprinted out of the room, laughing triumphantly. Just in time too, because as soon as he had said that last sentence, Red had thrown multiple sharp objects at Ash, desperately hoping to do some damage. But Ash was already gone, getting away unscathed.

Red sighed. Was he jealous? He didn't think he was, but he might have been. He was pretty indifferent on the matter, opting to wait til Serena was ready to do it. Frankly, he was ready to do it about 2 months into their relationship, but Red always put Serena's interests before his own, so the desire was usually pushed to the back of his mind. And then, he wondered: If Ash and May were ready, were he and Serena ready? They must have been, they had been together a little longer than Ash and May had, and they were _definitely _more mature than Ash and May. Red continued to think similar thoughts until his phone began to vibrate. He picked it up, and looked at the screen. 1 new message from Serena. He quickly opened it.

_**"Red! Come over to my house ASAP! GIANT spider in my room! No one can kill it but you! HURRY! -Serena"**_

Red stared at his phone screen, eyes wide. He quickly hopped out of bed, dashing to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, and then took the fastest shower of his life. After that, he hopped back into his room and put on some casual clothes, deodorant, and cologne. He decided that he'd skip combing his hair, because judging by Serena's text, there wasn't a minute to waste. He grabbed his car keys, and bolted out of the room.

Serena was terrified of spiders, her fear for them almost matching her love for chocolate. Knowing this, Red rushed into his car, feeling the need for speed. He pushed the petal to the metal, and zoomed down the street. As he sped down the road at over double the speed limit, his previous thoughts returned. He sighed, beginning to feel a strong desire for Serena more than ever. He hated to admit it, but he was getting a tad bit impatient. When would he and Serena do it?

Before he knew it, he began to fantasize of when he and Serena would have that magical moment, playing a bunch of unrealistic, overly-romantic scenarios in his head. A small smile spread across his lips. Unfortunately, his thoughts had to be put on hold when he slammed on the brakes, putting his shiny black jeep to a screechy, complete stop. There was a Stantler walking across the road, and Red had almost run it over.

* * *

Serena dropped her phone on her bed, readying herself for Red's arrival. She figured that he'd probably take about 5 minutes to get there, considering it took him about 10 when he wasn't in a rush. She looked at her room one last time, making sure it was spotless. Indeed it was. She looked at herself in the mirror, making sure everything was as perfect as she could possibly make it. Her hair was perfectly curled, and her face was decorated with just the right amount of make-up; not too little, but not too much.

Ready to roll, she walked out of her room, grabbing her usual pink hat on the way out. She checked all the rooms in the house, making sure that she was the only one home. She already knew she was, but paranoia was setting in, and she just _had _to check one last time before Red came. She checked May's room; empty. May had gone out to spend the day with Ash. She checked Max's room; empty. He had left in the morning to go to his camp, which was all the way in Johto. She checked her parents' room; of course it was empty, they were the ones taking Max to his camp. Indeed, she was home alone.

She sat on the couch and waited for Red to arrive. She was definitely ready, but second thoughts had haunted her mind ever since she had learned that May and Ash had... done _it_ before she and Red had. It was supposed to be a surprise for Red, yet May's competitive spirit had ended up ruining it. The moment Red walked in on Ash and May nude, Serena had lost the element of surprise. Sure, Red probably wasn't expecting Serena's plans, but now that May and Ash had done it first, it would seem like Serena was just copying May's idea, when it was actually the other way around.

"I'm going to make sure you pay for this, May..." grumbled Serena.

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling into her driveway could be heard. Serena's eyes widened. She ran to the door, unlocked it, and scurried up to her room, her plan entering it's beginning stages.

_"I hope this goes well..." _thought Serena as she closed her bedroom door. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted Red.

_**"The front door is unlocked! PLEASE HURRY! It's a ****JUMPING**** spider too! It's jumping all over the place! Ahhhh! -Serena"**_

Serena waited, and waited, and waited. So far, she had heard nothing. Right as she began to think that she was mistaken and Red wasn't there yet, she heard the front door burst open. She looked out of her window, and saw Red's car parked in the driveway. Serena sighed in content. She could hear Red's footsteps all around the house. They sounded rushed, which meant that he was probably in a hurry to kill the spider Serena had lied about. But that reminded her of something.

_"Ah crap, I should probably start screaming to make it more authentic..." _thought Serena. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Ahhh! Get away from me you 8-legged freak! Ewww! Aaaahhhh! Red! Help meeeeeeee!"

Serena heard Red run up the stairs, but then his footsteps stopped. She wondered why for a second, but immediately realized why. Even after dating for almost two years, Red still could not find Serena's room without a little help. Serena couldn't see him, but she was 100% sure he was looking around helplessly, like a puppy that's been separated from its mother. Serena sighed.

"Eeeek! The spider! Help me Red! Just in case you forgot, my room's the second-to-last door on the right side of the hallway! AHHHH, IT'S JUMPING AGAIN!"

To her relief, Serena heard Red's footsteps approach the door. With that over with, she could enter the next phase of her plan. She turned off all the lights in her room and closed the curtains, leaving her in complete darkness. She felt her way over to her hiding spot, and stayed completely still, not making a sound. She heard Red's footsteps get closer to the door, and in a matter of seconds he was behind it. She heard him turn the knob, and then she heard him open the door.

_"Here we go."_ thought Serena as she slowly crept out of her hiding spot, the darkness of her room hiding her from Red.

She could see Red, but he could not see her. She inched her way around the perimeter of her room, keeping out of Red's direct line of sight. It may have been dark, but the lights in the hallway provided a little light for Red to see. He took a step forward, unknowingly giving Serena a chance to slip behind him. As swift as a fierce lioness hunting in the savannah, Serena closed the door, creating complete and total darkness in the room. She locked the door, purposely doing it loudly.

She took a step forward, her arms outstretched in front of her. As expected, her hands met Red, who seemed to be facing her. She slowly wrapped her arms around Red's neck, pulling the most likely confused birthday boy into a kiss. He didn't kiss back at first. He had no idea if it was Serena or not. For all he knew, it could have been the giant jumping spider that Serena had texted him about. After about 20 seconds of no retaliation from Red, Serena let out a small, impatient moan.

After hearing Serena's voice, Red immediately kissed back, now knowing who he was dealing with. He figured that Serena had killed the spider or something, as she probably wouldn't be kissing him if the creature was still alive. But then he thought; how could she have killed the spider, when she had just screamed about it less than 2 minutes earlier? Red dismissed the thought, deciding to focus on his new task; Pleasing his girl. As soon as he began to kiss back, Serena leaned into Red, letting him support her weight. Serena did that often, so her now 18 year-old boyfriend knew exactly what to do next. Red wrapped his arms around Serena and lifted her off the ground, holding her in a tight embrace. He felt Serena's hat bump into his, knocking it off. After Red had lifted her off the ground, Serena's legs instinctively wrapped around his torso, her arms remaining around his neck.

Red held onto Serena tightly as the intensity of their kiss began to deepen, becoming less graceful and more passionate. Beginning to lose her breath, Serena removed her lips from Red's, breathing heavily.

"Thanks for coming Red... but there was no spider... I just wanted you to come over quickly..." she panted. She then placed a small kiss on where she thought Red's forehead would be. They were still in pitch black darkness, so she had to guess. Luckily, she had kissed her intended target. "Now... Let's continue this on the... bed."

As he always did, Red listened to Serena. But not before pulling her back into the kiss. Serena was used to that; Whenever they made out, her lips seemed to have a drug-like effect on Red. If there was too much of a break between kisses, he'd begin to go through withdrawals. She gladly satisfied his craving by kissing him back. With his arms not growing the least bit tired, Red carried Serena over to the bed. It took him a while, as he had to feel his way to it with his feet. When he finally reached it, he decided to change things up a bit. He paused the kiss and smirked.

It would be an understatement to say that Serena was surprised when Red dropped her onto the bed. He had never done it before. She had expected him to fall onto the bed, with her on top, but instead, the exact opposite was being done. She could feel Red tower over her, his minty breath getting closer and close every second. Finally, his lip met hers again, and they continued kissing. Serena wrapped her arms and legs around Red again, her fingers playing with Red's dark hair.

_"So far so good..." _thought Serena, a quiet moan of pleasure escaping her lips. _"I guess it's time to turn on the lights."_

As her lips danced with Red's, Serena removed one of her hands from him. She slyly reached for her bedside lamp, hoping it was within arms reach. Much to her satisfaction, she felt it. But right when she wanted to turn it on, Red pushed the kiss into the next level, getting their tongues involved in the action. At that moment, Serena forgot her mission to turn the lamp on. She was enveloped in too much pleasure to turn it on. Their tongues battled, fought, and struggled, neither gaining any advantage.

After a few minutes of pleasure, Serena once again tried to turn the lamp on. She found it much harder to find than before, as the kiss she and Red were sharing was just too good. Finally, she gained enough brainpower to reach the knob of the lamp. She turned it, and dim yellow light shone throughout the room, finally allowing the couple to see themselves.

They were both happy with what they saw. Serena saw Red tower over her, his hat off his head. His hazel eyes looked down at her lovingly, a big grin on his face, his white teeth shining. After seeing his face, all doubt and worry had left Serena's mind, replaced with a strong sense adoration and determination. She loved Red more than anything, and whether he expected it or not, she was going to complete their relationship. There was no one around to get in the way, and she was feeling the need for it more than ever. No matter what happened, she'd always love him, and she desperately wanted to prove it.

When the lights had turned on, Red could finally see Serena, just as she had been able to see him. He too felt a surge of love. She looked beautiful. Her hat was still on her head, though it was a little crooked from when it bumped into Red's. Somehow, the small pony-tail hairstyle she wore on the ends of her hair fell apart, allowing her long, honey hair to spread out freely. Her bright, cyan eyes were locked with Red's, a small smile on her face. Red couldn't help but grin, because even after dating her for almost two years, Red still couldn't understand how he had won himself a girl so perfect.

"I love you." said Serena.

Red mouthed the words "I love you too." back. The two stared into each other's eyes a little longer, before continuing their kiss. Serena immediately felt around for the zipper to Red's short-sleeved jacket, and when she found it, she zipped it down. Red decided to take care of the rest by removing it completely, tossing it to the other side of the bed. Serena took this as her chance to push Red over, and climb on top of him. Surprised by the amount of force put into the push, Red simply stared up at her, wide eyed. Serena giggled.

"It's my turn to be on top." she declared. She grabbed Red's cheeks and pulled his face onto hers, the kiss resuming.

Completely fine with the new position, Red complied, his lips perfectly in sync with Serena's. He decided to take things a step further by slowly snaking his hands to Serena's waist, his hands outlining her beautiful frame. Once he got to where he wanted, he moved his hands a bit higher, grabbing hold of Serena's firm bottom. He gave each cheek a gentle squeeze. Serena's breathing hitched a little at Red's touch, a surge of arousal shooting through her body.

Since Red's hands were occupied, Serena thought that hers should have been as well. One of Serena's hands left Red's face, reaching for his t-shirt's collar. She tugged at it, trying to send a message across. Red knew what she wanted, but refused. Taking off his t-shirt would mean taking his hands away from Serena's lovely lady lumps, and that was something he didn't plan on doing any time soon.

Her patience evaporating, Serena broke the kiss and roughly pulled Red's shirt off of him, forcing his hands off her ass. Red frowned. His frown only grew when Serena decided to get off of him completely.

"Oh calm down..." panted Serena, removing her sneakers and black thigh-high socks. She then climbed back on top of Red, a seductive look in her eyes. Her hands glided across his chest, her smooth legs touching Red's. "We're just getting started..."

Red tilted his head. They had reached the point that they had never gone past. They had never done more than intense kissing and feeling each other up. He stared off into the distance, trying to think of what Serena meant, and then, about 2 and a half seconds later, it hit him like a load of bricks. This wasn't their average make-out session. It was quite the opposite. She wanted to go further. Like, _further _further. Further as in sexual intercourse. She wanted it. And she didn't just want it, she _wanted it._ He couldn't believe couldn't help but notice the convenience of it all. He had been thinking about it on the way to her house and _BAM! _His thoughts were about to become reality, as if the universe read his mind earlier and decided to help him out. Red grinned a kiddy little grin, the same one a young boy or girl wears when they find an Easter egg in an Easter Egg Hunt. Serena smiled back, except it was a much more mature, suggestive smile.

"Red, I love you. I really, _really _love you. You complete me. I'm sure you already know this, but I'll tell you anyway; It's no secret that I have lust for you. Apparently _everyone_ can see through the "sophisticated guise" that Dawn says I wear. Yeah, I admit I'm not as perfect and mature as people think I am. I'm human, I have dirty thoughts sometimes. But lust is natural, especially for people our age. The time you and I spend together is wonderful, and I would never trade it for anything, but sometimes... it just isn't enough. Don't get me wrong; you're the perfect boyfriend, and no guy on this planet could ever replace you. You meet and go beyond all my standards love-wise... but we've had the same level of intimacy for the past _8_ months. And it's not like there's nothing else to do. There is, and I'm ready to do it. I have been for a while now. But there's one question that keeps bouncing around in my head, and I just have to ask it: Are _you _ready?"

Red looked into Serena's eyes, and no longer was there the burning stare of a seductress, but the yearning gaze of a young lady who desperately wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Lucky for her, he was more than ready. He smiled and knocked Serena's hat off her head, causing her eyes to widen. He then pulled her onto him, holding her in a tight embrace. Serena's untied hair flowed an many directions, a lot of it landing on Red's face. Red sighed. It smelled like cherries.

Caught off guard by the hug, Serena began to stutter.

"I-is that a-a yes?" asked Serena.

Red nodded.

Serena couldn't contain herself when she felt Red nod. Tears began to form in her eyes, but a smile spread across her face. She removed herself from Red's hug, allowing her to look into Red's eyes.

"Thank you... I *hiccup* love you so much." wept Serena, a lone tear rolling down her smiling face.

Red simply chuckled, thinking Serena's mid-sentence hiccup was the most adorable thing he had ever heard. Serena lowered her face down, and kissed Red, pouring all her pent up emotion into the action. Red tried to kiss back with the same amount of intensity, but he was failing miserably. Serena had wanted to have sex with him for over half a year, and it was obvious that she had the stronger desire to do it too. What happened next only confirmed that Serena truly was ready. Her hips began to grind upon Red's, slowly and sensually. Red's breathing sped up a little. Serena had "accidentally" touched him there in the past, though now, Red wasn't sure whether those were accidents or not. Either way, this was no accident. Red continued to kiss back, too surprised to do anything else.

His surprise only grew with the _next _thing Serena did. She sat up a little, grabbed one of Red's hands, and placed it on her chest. At that moment, Red's body went numb. The weight of what was happening was truly sinking in. He was about to lose his virginity...

Red dismissed the thought and kept his hand on Serena's breast. Red was a man of action. He had always been one. Thoughts were things he didn't like using, and actions were things he liked doing. But in order to properly fondle Serena's curves, he had to break the kiss. Serena's eyes opened, confused as to why Red had stopped. Red replied with a playful squeeze on her breast.

"Oh... if that's what you want, then sure..." said Serena as she sat up completely, her hands going to the buttons on her shirt. She quickly unbuttoned them all with dexterity the likes of which Red had never seen. Her shirt was now open, revealing her lean torso, only covered by a simple black bra. She looked back down at Red with a smile. "How about that?"

Just to tease her, Red shrugged his shoulders, even though he was thoroughly enjoying his view. Serena pouted, thinking of what to do next, since she didn't realize that Red was joking. She loved making out, but it was getting a little bland. They needed something to spice it up a little more. That's when the _perfect_ thought came to her mind.

"If that's not enough..." she purred, her hands reaching for her bra hooks. She unhooked them, allowing her bra to fall off, revealing her breasts to Red. "Maybe this will be."

Red had never spoken a word in his life. But even if he could, he'd be speechless at the moment anyway. Despite being good friends Gary and having Ethan as a cousin, Red had never seen real breasts. Sure, he'd seen a couple drawings that Gary and/or Ethan had drawn (they drew them fairly often), but they weren't very accurate. The ones Red was seeing were the real deal. His eyes were locked onto them, his mouth slightly agape. His hands slowly rose, approaching the mounds with caution. Was he allowed to touc-

"Go ahead." giggled Serena shyly, noticing how hesitant Red was.

As soon as he got the green light from Serena, Red's hands practically teleported to Serena's breasts, enjoying their firm yet soft touch. Serena awkwardly watched, not knowing what to do. She didn't really gain that much of a sensation when he fondled her; it wasn't enough to get her to moan or anything. But she sure a heck felt a sensation when Red decided to poke one of her nipples with his thumb. Serena shuddered and gasped, exhaling sporadically. A loud moan escaped her mouth, leading Red to conclude that he was doing a good job. He continued to play with her tips, gaining even louder moans from his beautiful girlfriend. Serena lowered herself onto Red, too overwhelmed to sit up. Red's hands remained on her breasts, continuing the touching that was driving her insane. His mouth latched into the crook of her neck, hungrily sucking her cream-colored skin. He was slowly becoming a beast, and he was on the attack.

"Redddddddd..." moaned Serena, resuming the grinding of her hips on Red. "ohhhh... you're so... ohhhhhh... I want you so much..."

Red continued pleasuring her, he himself growing more and more aroused just by the sound of her voice. But the greatest arousal came when in between her howls, moans and gasps, Serena shoved her hand into Red's shorts. Red was surprised, but he didn't show it. He continued to play with Serena's nipples, his mouth sucking passionately on Serena's neck.

Serena grabbed his member, which was already as hard as could be. She wasn't proud of it, but she already knew exactly what to do with it. In her deep desire for Red, she may have "accidentally" stumbled upon one or two dirty websites. She stroked it with a steady yet quick rhythm, the same pace she saw in the videos she had seen. She could feel Red's breathing slow down, indicating that he was trying to keep his calm.

_"Don't want that, now do we?" _thought Serena darkly. _"I'm making sure he doesn't hold **anything** back..."_

She gripped Red a little tighter and sped up the pace a bit, hoping that would force Red into unleashing the beast within. Red removed his mouth from Serena's neck, his eyes tightly shut. His grip on Serena's breasts tightened, and he took a deep breath. No longer moaning, Serena's eyes narrowed. He was still trying to control himself, though it seemed like just a little more effort on Serena's part would cause him to lose it. But that was the problem. If she went any faster with her pace, she'd probably start hurting him. But once again, a great idea appeared in her mind. She had seen it done many times in the videos she "accidentally" found online. She stopped stroking Red, and positioned her face right over his. His eyes opened, and the first thing he saw were Serena's big cyan ones, looking directly into his.

"I want you to fuck me." purred Serena in the sexiest voice she could form.

That did it. That one single sentence demolished all control Red had. His eyes widened, and in one strong, forceful motion, he forced Serena to sit up, and then pushed her onto her back. Even though Serena had wanted him to lose control, she still didn't expect him to completely reverse their position in less than 2 seconds. Her eyes opened, and much to her surprise, Red's face was nowhere near hers. It was lower. Actually, she couldn't see it at all, it was was hidden by her signature red skirt. Serena gasped as she felt what felt like fingers touching her underwear. But suddenly, the fingers stopped touching the underwear. Serena looked down, and saw Red's hazel eyes looking straight at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but Red's face disappeared into her skirt again.

He was going to ask for permission, but he decided that he didn't need permission. He looked at Serena's black panties. Even though they were black, and the lighting in the room was dim, he could see that they were wet. He smirked. With one finger, he pulled down the left side of Serena's panties. He waited a few seconds, and then did the same with the right side of the panties. He then pulled both sides down to her ankles, revealing Serena's womanhood. He would have spent more time staring at it if he weren't in a state of lustful madness. Without even thinking, he began lapping away at her folds, causing a long list of different reactions from his honey-haired partner. Her body bucked and shuddered, her breathing hitched, electric waves of pleasure crashed about in her body like the wildest of seas, and her loudest moan yet escaped her mouth. She had never felt anything like it. It was a so unpredictable, yet so wonderful. Unable to control herself, Serena grabbed Red by the hair and pushed him further in.

Red's tongue danced around Serena's canal, in desperate search for a spot that would make her go wild. Eventually, he found it. He knew he had when Serena screamed even louder, her back arching up.

"RIGHT THEREEEEE! RIGHT THERREEEEEEEEE! DON'T STOPPP!"

At Serena's request, Red continued to tease the mound of nerves, earning a plethora of positive results from Serena. Serena's screams only got louder and louder, and that's when Red's mind began to take control of him again. At the volume Serena was shouting at, anyone in the house could easily hear her. At this realization, Red froze and looked at Serena, who was in a state of dazed euphoria, her breathing heavy. Red had to snap his fingers a couple times to snap her out of it. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Red. Red nodded his head towards the door.

"Oh... don't worry... no one is... home..." wheezed Serena with a smile.

Red sighed in relief. He then, without any warning whatsoever, continued what he was doing before. He inserted his tongue once more, causing a surprised yet pleased Serena to shriek. For some reason, he really enjoyed eating her out. It was almost like a game to him. Winning would be getting Serena to say his name, and so far, she hadn't done it yet. That's what he was waiting for, and he wouldn't stop until she did. Once again, Serena's hands grabbed Red's head, pushing him further in. This time Red gave it his all, hoping he would get what he was waiting for. But instead, he got something else.

He could feel Serena shudder, and could hear her breathing become random and unpredictable. Her quick, loud screams quickly transformed into slow, soft moans. Red suddenly felt a liquid meet his tongue, and in all honesty, he had not the slightest clue what it was. He opted to continue licking, having no idea that he had just given Serena an orgasm.

"Redddddddddd... ohhhhhh..." moaned Serena, pulling Red's head away from her folds. "Hmmm... ohhh..."

Red removed his head without any protest, his little "game" over. She had said his name, and that was all he needed to hear. He sat up, gazing down at Serena's beautiful body. Her hair was sprawled out everywhere, and she was breathing as if she had just sprinted a mile... but in Red's eyes, she looked beautiful. While Serena regained her senses, Red removed his shorts, leaving him only in boxers. He took those off too. He then tugged on Serena's red skirt, the only article of clothing she had left. It slid right off, revealing her full body. Red tossed the skirt to the left, hearing it land on the floor a few seconds later. He arched himself over her, waiting for her to open her eyes. After about 10 seconds, Serena had gained enough brain-power to open her eyes. Towering above her was Red, who was looking directly at her. She nodded her head.

"I'm... ready."

Red nodded his head, an apologetic look in his eye. He knew that no matter how ready Serena could be, the pain she was about to feel was something she'd most likely never forget, and it sent powerful shocks of guilt through his mind to know that he'd be the one inducing it. But it was what she- no, it was what they both wanted, and they had already come so far. It was the final obstacle, and it had to be broken sooner or later. Red positioned himself in front of her entrance, and slowly pushed in. He lowered his face and captured Serena's mouth in a kiss, trying to do everything he could to pacify the anxiety that Serena was undeniably feeling. And finally, the dreaded moment arrived. Red had reached the wall.

He separated his mouth from Serena's, and looked at her for one last reassurance. Serena opened her eyes and nodded.

"I love you. I know it's going to hurt, but I'll be okay." said Serena, touching Red's face with one hand.

Red sighed, closed his eyes, and pushed forward, breaking Serena's hymen. She said she'd be okay, but the mind-numbing scream that rang from her mouth convinced Red otherwise. His eyes quickly opened, and saw her eyes tightly shut, her hands squeezing the bedsheets. Paralyzed in fear, Red didn't move a muscle, afraid he had done it too fast or in a way that made it more painful than it had to be. Red stayed there motionless, until Serena's expression softened. Her screams trailed off, and was replaced by soft whimpers. Then, much to Red's surprise, she pushed herself towards Red, allowing her passage to fully envelop Red.

Red's mouth cracked open, not knowing what to do yet. Serena's eyes slowly opened, and her lips formed a weak smile.

"I told you I was ready..." she said quietly, her arms wrapping around Red's back. "You can move now..."

Red did as he was told, beginning a smooth back and forth rhythm. She felt amazing. There was no way to describe it other than amazing. Every inch of his member was surrounded by her warm depths, wrapped in a tight embrace. It was a feeling that he'd never forget, a feeling that he hoped was being felt on both sides, not just his own. Serena let out quiet whimpers, still feeling a little pain. But as the pain departed, the pleasure arrived. And in a matter of minutes, Serena managed to say a word that Red hadn't even thought of.

"Faster..."

Red had already been enjoying the slow pace, so much that he forgot that he could go faster. But with Serena's command, he did just that, and the ecstasy only grew. Serena's whimpers grew to full out cries of bliss, echoing throughout the whole house. Each scream that came from her mouth only served as fuel for Red, giving him the drive to go faster. Serena was quickly losing all control over herself, the sensations becoming too much to bear. She could no longer move, her mind declaring that moving would take too much effort. All she could do was scream the name of her beloved Red as he opened every cavern within, completing her.

Red had not grown tired at all, his stamina still strong. He could do it forever; as long as could hear Serena's voice, he couldn't be stopped. But unfortunately for him, stamina was not the only factor in such an activity. Being a virgin himself, Red had no idea how he had not felt the urge to climax yet. They had been at it for almost 10 minutes, and he was still going strong. Ironically, the moment he thought of that, he felt the building sensation. He knew that it was inevitable, but he wanted to release with Serena. He figured at best he could hold it back for about 20 seconds more. But there was a problem. Being unable to speak, how could he ask Serena if she was reaching hers as well? Much to Red's convenience, he didn't have to ask.

Serena could feel it already; her second orgasm of the day was approaching. She could tell by Red's face that he was nearing it too. His facial expression told it all; he was waiting til she came as well. She held on tight to Red, arching herself in a way the forced Red's member into the deepest regions of her passage. Then, she gathered as much willpower as she could and molded it into words.

"Red!" she gasped in between screams. "I'm close...! Do it! Do it inside! I want all of it! Fill me with it!"

Red gladly obliged, thrusting as deep as he could. He felt her walls clamp down on his length, and that was all that was needed to send him over the edge. He erupted, letting out a silent howl as he he did. At the same time Serena finished as well, piercing the air with a scream of Red's name. It was an indescribable moment, one that exceeded both of their wildest dreams. It was forever engraved in both their memories, along with the unfathomable feeling of the pair climaxing together. Not even bothering to pull himself out, Red collapsed onto Serena, his face landing beside hers.

Not feeling the need to do anything else, they both laid there, entangled with one another. They both breathed heavily, feeling the after-effects of what they had just done. Finally, when Serena had regained her functionality, she ran a hand through Red's hair, an exhausted smile on her face. They had finally given themselves to eachother, and she could tell that their life together would only get better from there. She could feel her consciousness slipping, and before she fell asleep, she wanted to have a word with her lover.

"Red? ...You still awake?"

Red slowly nodded. He too could feel his consciousness disappearing.

"Thank you... I love you."

Red raised his head, lining his face up with Serena's. His lips met Serena's, and they shared a kiss like no other. But she still had one more thing to say. She parted from the kiss and grinned.

"Happy 18th Birthday." said Serena as she pulled him back into the kiss.

And that's how they remained, kissing. The kiss lasted until both teens fell asleep, wrapped in eachother's arms. The last thought running through Serena's mind was when they could do it again. The last thought running through Red's mind? How surprised Ash will be when he tells him.

But unbeknownst to Red, Ash already knew.

When Red had removed his shorts, he had left them on the bed. Inside them was his phone, which operated on a _touch-screen._ In all the commotion, the lovers had accidentally reached Red's speed dial menu. Of course, the name on the top of that menu was Ash. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, they had pressed the "call" button...

* * *

Ash and May sat in their Ferris Wheel booth, both of them silent. They had just heard Red and Serena have sex, via cell phone. Both of them were silent, neither one knowing what exactly to say. A few minutes of silence later, they both stepped off the ride, still quiet as could be. Then, as if on cue, both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter, Ash even going so far as to fall to the amusement park's pavement, practically convulsing in laughter.

"Oh my god," he laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "I can't believe that just happened."

"HAHAHAHAHA, I know! Holy crap, I think I might bust a lung if I laugh anymore!" replied May, helping Ash off the ground.

"Oh man, Serena screams like a wild animal or something!" chuckled Ash, his remaining giggles evaporating. "It sounded terrifying."

"I know right?! You're lucky Ash, at least I didn't scream that loud!" agreed May. She locked eyes with Ash, and then her eyes narrowed, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. "Or maybe Red's just better than you in bed. Maybe I _can_ scream that loud, and you just haven't pushed me there like Red did Serena...?"

Ash looked at May as if she had just thrown the harshest insult in the world at him. He began to stutter like a babbling idiot, his arms crossed. After hearing that sentence from May, a fierce sense of competition began to burn in his soul. He composed himself, stopped stuttering, and turned his hat backwards, the white-hot fire of determination burning in his eyes.

"That is _not_ true." replied Ash coolly. "And I'll prove it."

"Oh, really? Hmmm... How_ever_ will you do that?" purred May, stepping closer to Ash so that her chest touched his. "There's nowhere here that's secluded enough to give you the chance."

Ash looked around and pointed towards the parking lot, a smirk on his face. May smirked back. The two held hands and ran towards Ash's car, and like everything related to Red and Serena, they were determined to prove they were the better couple.

* * *

**Okie dokie, that's that.** **Forgive me if you don't like my lemons, I'm not that great at writing them. **

**Here's the hint for the next one shot:**

"Oh come on, Serena, it's just _one_ drink. What's the worst that can happen? You're at a college party; have some fun!" said Jane, handing a glass of wine to Serena.

"*Sigh*, fine..." replied Serena, rolling her eyes. She took a sip of the wine, and her pupils immediately dilated.

**Well, well, it seems like Drunk Serena makes her return next time. But what will she do? *smiles evilly***

**Au revoir,**

**~DarkSlash9**


	14. Drinks

**Happy Halloween to all who celebrate it! I'm just going to keep things simple and cut to the chase. I think this one was requested by a guest reviewer, but I'm not entirely sure. It's not a lemon, but there are some strong sexual references. As usual, check in the A/N at the end for a hint of what the next one-shot will be about.  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**One-shot 3  
**

Drinks

* * *

"*yawn* ughhh... who- OH MY GOD!"

"H-huh... hmmm? WHAT THE-"

"HOOOOOLLLLYY SHIT! WHY ARE YOU...?! WHY AM I...?! WE'RE- WHAT-"

"I-I-I CAN EXPLAIN!"

"DO IT!"

"W-WELL, UM, LAST NIGHT I THINK I WAS..."

And so the story began...

* * *

_The night before..._

8:00pm. It was 8:00pm, on a Friday night, on a college campus. As expected of almost every college or university in existence, there was a party brewing. The night was still young, and everybody who was anybody was going, since it was no normal party. It was an interscholastic party, which meant everything was wilder than usual, since there were going to be students from all the nearby colleges in attendance. Normally, every college student would be getting ready to go, but one 19-year old teen was stuffed up in her dorm, watching TV. Her long, honey hair was an untied mess, and her cyan eyes were void of any joy. She wasn't going to the party.

"Of course, there's nothing on..." droned Serena as she clicked buttons on her TV remote, flipping through the channels. Nothing was on. Well, nothing _interesting_. Serena collapsed face first onto her bed, allowing her face to sink into her pillows. "Ughhh... this is sooooo boooooring..."

Serena lay face down in her bed for a while, but eventually lifted her head up to breathe in some fresh air. She lifted her head, and across the room she saw the empty bed of her roommate. Of course, her roommate was May. Serena sighed. May wasn't present, and without May, Serena was lonely. She had friends beside her sister, but her sister was the closest one by far.

_"Dammit May... why did your Physics professor choose this weekend of all weekends to take your class on a field trip...? I'm all alone, and I have no one to go to the party with... now I'm stuck here, with nothing to do... this sucks... maybe I should just go alone. I might as well, I guess..."  
_

Serena lay face up on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, her mind began to fill itself to the brim with optimistic, excited thoughts. The longer she stared, the more fired up she got.

"Yeah!" she shouted, sitting up. "Why do I need to have people with me to have fun at a party?! I don't need to have a group with me to have fun at a party! I can have fun all by my self! Yeah! I don't need May! I don't need anyone! What time is it...? 8:07! The night is still young! I can do this! I'm going to that party! I'm gonna dance! I'm gonna have fun! Watch out everyone, here comes Serena Maple!"

With her plans decided, Serena hopped out of her bed, and skipped straight towards the bathroom, grabbing her towel on the way there. Before entering the shower, she grabbed her phone, plugged it into a small boombox, and searched for the perfect song for the occasion. After several minutes of searching, she found the perfect song. "Dancing Queen" by ABBA.

As the song began, Serena stripped naked and danced into the shower. By the time the water had started raining down on her, the first verse of the song had begun. Serena sang along to the best of her ability, using her shower head as a microphone.

"Friday night and the lights are low..." she sang, perfectly in tune. "Looking out for a place to go... Where they play the right music, getting in the swing, you've come to look for a... king..."

At the line "you come to look for a king" Serena hesitated. Of course, that line meant that she was looking for a boyfriend. Of course, Red already fit that role. But unfortunately, he was away at a soccer game. That was just another reason why Serena had been so bored. May was away on a trip and Red was away at a game. But Red had away games often, so she shook off the thought and continued on with the song. By the time she had gotten back into the song, the chorus was starting. She quickly burst back into song.

"And when you get the chance... You are the dancing queeeeeeen! Young and sweet, only niiiineteen!" sang Serena, laughing at the last two words. The lyrics were 'only seventeen', but she changed them so the song would be about her. "Dancing queen! Feel the beat of the tambourine! Oh yeaaaahhh!"

Serena continued her singing until the shower was over. She skipped out, dried herself off, and found some nice but casual clothes to put on. She applied some make-up, blow-dried her hair, and brushed it till it was beautiful and orderly. Once her outfit was complete, she opened a cabinet that she had specifically for perfumes. Her eyes scanned each of the small bottles, trying to find the perfect one.

"Hm... Orange Burst? Nah, that's not for this type of party... Lilac Bloom? I wore that last time..." muttered Serena. Then, her eyes fell upon a little pink bottle. It was almost full. Serena beamed. "OH! Sweet Pea! PERFECT!"

It really was perfect for the occasion, since Red absolutely despised the scent. As a sacrifice for their relationship, Serena never wore it when with Red, which meant that she barely ever wore it at all. But since Red wasn't present, wearing it was a must. Serena sprayed it on her wrists and neck, making sure not to put too much. She smelled herself, and sighed in content.

"Okay, I think I'm ready..."

She walked to the mirror, and checked herself out.

"Yeah, I'm _so_ ready." she said with a smile.

She grabbed her belongings and took one last look around the room, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Deciding that she hadn't, Serena walked towards the door, ready to party. But as soon as she reached for the door knob, a knock was heard from the other side of the door. She tilted her head. Who could be knocking at her door? Red wasn't around, and neither was May. And even if May was around, she had her own room key as well, which meant she wouldn't be knocking.

"Who is it?" asked Serena cautiously.

"Me." replied a deep voice.

"Y'know, I was expecting a name."

"Serena, how the heck do you not recognize my voice?"

"Calm down, Brainiac." sighed Serena as she opened her door. "I was just joking."

The person on the other side of the door didn't seem too amused. His brown eyes were staring deep into Serena's soul. Serena immediately raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. Though it was physically impossible, it looked like he was trying to make Serena's head explode or something.

"Ash, why are you looking at me like that?" half-laughed Serena, trying to lighten the drastically darkened mood. "Why are you here anyway? May's away on her field trip."

"I know that. I'm here against my will." said Ash blandly.

Serena examined Ash from top to bottom. He was wearing white sneakers, black jeans, and a plain, neon green t-shirt. He looked freshly shaven, and he smelled like he had just showered. His hair was slightly messier than usual, as it was not fully dried from the shower Serena assumed he had taken. On his face was a pair of glasses with rectangular lenses, a sight Serena hadn't seen in years. To top it all off, perched on Ash's shoulder was his faithful Pikachu, staring at Serena in the same manner Ash was; intensely.

Serena, no longer affected by their unhappy glares, folded her arms.

"What do you mean 'against your will'? And why are you wearing glasses?"

"I'm here because apparently, Red can't _stand_ the thought of you being alone." growled Ash, rolling his eyes. Serena could tell he was beginning a rant. "He texted me 2 hours ago, telling me that I have to stay with _you_ tonight, because he doesn't want you to 'do something you'll regret' at that party that's going on tonight. But he knew you'd be bored if you didn't go to the party, so he asked me of all people to come keep you company. I said 'no' of course, but Red threatened to 'hurt me' if I didn't, so here I am. Congrats. You've ruined my night. And the reason I'm wearing glasses is because May accidentally stepped on my contact lenses when she said goodbye to me this morning."

"I've ruined your night? What exactly were you going to spend it doing, polishing your computers?"

"You're not funny."

"Hm. Well guess what?" asked Serena.

"What?" muttered Ash.

"I'm going to that party anyway." answered Serena, lightly pushing Ash out of the way.

"Nope. No, you're not." said Ash, jumping in her way. "If you do, there's a 99.9999% chance that Red will kill me. C'mon, just stay in your dorm. Okay, maybe I'm making this a bigger deal than it has to be. I promise I won't be grumpy all night."

"Get out of my way, Ash." sighed Serena. "I'm going to that party whether Red likes it or not."

"Pika pika pi!" yelled Pikachu, sparks flying from his cheeks.

"Yeah, what Pikachu said!" said Ash frantically.

"I can't understand Pikachu." said Serena dryly.

"Oh..." said Ash. "Well he said that this is a big party, and there's going to be some dangerous people there! You shouldn't go alone!"

"Just come with me then." said Serena. "That way, everyone's happy. I go to the party, you're there with me, and Red doesn't have to worry. Problem solved."

Ash looked at Pikachu, and they had a silent conversation. Pikachu tilted his head, and Ash shrugged. Pikachu blinked twice, and Ash nodded. Pikachu waived his paws in the air, and Ash scratched his head. Ash then turned to Serena.

"Alright, I'll go with you. But I'll be watching you like a Hawlucha." said Ash, pointing to Serena.

"Oh whatever, let's just go." said Serena, walking past Ash.

Ash looked at Pikachu, sighed, and followed Serena. Looking back, he should have known that Serena would be adamant on going to the party. She was wearing nice clothes, her hair was brushed, and she smelled good. No one would like to put all that work into their appearance to end up not going anywhere. After a while, he found himself staring at Serena, noticing every detail of her. Though he'd never, EVER say it aloud, he had to admit. She looked really pretty. As soon as he thought that, he mentally slapped himself.

_"What...the fuck?__ Was I really just staring at her? I think May hugged me a little too hard this morning... I'd never normally think Serena is pretty... she's not my type. Too bossy... too evil... too insane." _thought Ash, deciding to walk next to Serena instead of behind her. From the corner of his eye, he saw her facial expression. It was blank, and her eyes were staring straight ahead. _"She looks like she's lost in thought... probably thinking of ways to ditch me at the party. Or worse."_

_"Hmm... If I go to this party with Ash..."_ thought Serena. _"Will people think we're dating? I hope not. I would hope that people would recognize him as Red's brother and think that there's nothing going on, but most people don't know Ash and Red are brothers... Hm, I guess it's not that big of a deal. **I **know we're not dating, and so does Ash. Who cares what other people think? And even if they do think we're dating, Ash is pretty good-looking, so-... wait a minute, **what**?"_

Serena broke her straight gaze to look at Ash out of the corner of her eye. Much to her surprise, Ash was looking right back, out of the corner of his eye. They both immediately looked forward, pretending the moment had never happened. That split second moment was enough to inject a tsunami of awkwardness into the atmosphere.

_"This is weird." _thought both of them.

"Hey Ash." said Serena, trying strike up a conversation.

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't we friends?" asked Serena, the question almost coming out on its own.

"What do you mean?" asked Ash, turning to the honey-blonde. "We are friends."

"Really? We're really not when you think about it. Do you realize that tonight is a first? We've known eachother for around 3 years now, and we've never hung out, just the two of us. You can't say it's because we're dating each other's siblings either, because May and Red hang out all the time... they do tons of stuff together, because they're good friends. And then there's us... you and I just don't seem to like each other."

Ash took Serena's words into account, and realized that she was absolutely right. Since they had met on that fateful day in High School, he and Serena had always had the weakest friendship. In the 3 years they'd known each other, it barely grew at all. Sure, they had some moments over the years where they were thankful for each other's existence, but those paled in comparison to the moments where they dreaded each other's company.

"It's not that I don't like you-"

"So what is it?" asked Serena, turning her head to Ash. "Do you hate me?"

"hmmm... No, I don't hate you." said Ash, adjusting his glasses. "Do _you_ hate _me_?"

"No, not at all. You just irk me sometimes, but that's normal I guess." answered Serena.

"Then let's be friends." said Ash with a competitive smile. "Starting tonight, we'll try our best to be just as casual and friendly as Red and May are."

"Why must you make everything a competition? *sigh* Okay Brainiac, let's do it."

"Hey, if you want this friendship thing to work out, you're gonna have to destroy that nickname." said Ash, an eye twitching.

"I'll think about it. But right now, let's focus on that party."

* * *

_2 hours later..._

The music was loud, but people's voices were louder. The party was in full swing, and everybody was either drinking, dancing, or both. In the corner, on a couch made for three, was Ash and Serena. Both of them had danced til they could dance no more, their legs exhausted. They had decided to sit on the couch and talk, and so far, it was going well. To anyone who didn't know them, it looked like they were good friends. And in actuality, in just 2 hours, they _had _become good friends. The slight hostility that was usually between the two was nowhere to be found. It was replaced with an awkward but enjoyable feeling, the feeling of truly getting to know someone. For example, Ash had learned that Serena's least favorite fruits were pineapples and grapefruits. He never would of known that if he hadn't spoken to her that night.

Pokemon weren't allowed into the party, so Ash had to leave Pikachu in the car.

The whole time, Ash had not once checked his phone, which was something he did pretty often when in public. He was too enveloped in the many conversations he was having with Serena. But finally, when the force of habit overtook him, he reached into his pocket, though he was still paying attention to Serena. But after a few seconds of digging through his pockets, his eyes widened.

"And that's when I said-"

"Hold on Serena." said Ash abruptly, putting a hand up. "My phone's not in my pocket."

"Then where is it? Did you even bring it with you to begin with?" asked Serena, not too worried about the absence of Ash's phone.

"Yeah, I'm positive I walked in with it. Oh man, I probably dropped it while I was dancing..."

"Probably... So, like I was saying-"

"Serena." growled Ash.

"Alright, I'll finish my story after you find your phone."

"I can't go look for it though... The whole reason I'm here is to keep you company and make sure you don't get into trouble. What if some big creepy douchebag grabs you or something? Red would castrate me."

"Ash please, I'm 19. I don't need protection, and I'm capable of making good decisions. Go find your phone, I'll be right here."

Ash stared at Serena for a few seconds, and then glanced at the dance floor, seriously weighing his options. But as soon as the thought of never seeing his cell phone again entered his mind, his decision was made.

"Don't leave that couch!" commanded Ash as jogged away, heading towards the dance floor.

Serena watched him leave. As soon as he was out of sight, she sighed. She was having mixed feelings on everything that had happened so far. She found it incredibly hard to believe that she and Ash had already become friends after 3+ years of disliking each other. But as hard to believe as it was, it was true. She had just spent a whole hour having a full conversation with him, and not once did she feel like insulting him. There was that, and the fact that she had thought of him as 'pretty good-looking' earlier. Never, had she ever thought of him as that, and she was still wondering why such a description would appear in her mind.

_"I guess I can see why May's been so physically attracted to him all this time. He's got some good features, to a certain degree. And he is kind of charming, but it's not the type of charm I like. It's an awkward, nerdy, nice guy charm. I like Red's; Strong, protective, and fiery... but now that I think of it, Red has been a little too protective as of late. I can't believe he sent Ash to watch me. As if I'm the type of girl to get myself into trouble when he's not around... He and I are going to have a little talk when he gets back, because I'm totally capable of making good decisions."  
_

By the end of her inner monologue, Serena was frowning. Noticing this, she shook the frown away. So far she was having a good time, and thinking of Red's imperfections would only ruin the mood. She looked around, trying to spot Ash in the crowd of people. He was nowhere to be seen. But just then, Serena noticed a figure walking towards her in the distance. At first she thought nothing of it, but the closer the person got, the clearer it was that Serena was their target. But by the time they were close enough, Serena already knew who they were. It was a girl with long black hair, pale skin, and bright green eyes. She had two cups in her hands, both filled with dark red liquid. Serena smiled as soon as she recognized the girl.

"Hi Jane." greeted Serena.

"Yo." replied Jane, one of Serena's new college friends. "You looked pretty bored sitting here on the couch, so I thought I'd come to turn that frown upside down."

"But I'm smiling."

"Well- I- shut up, you were frowning when I saw you." retorted Jane. She was easily flustered.

"Whatever. Why do you have two cups of wine with you?" asked Serena, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh I dunno, maybe so we can DRINK THEM. That's what one usually does with wine." sassed Jane, sitting beside Serena on the couch. "Here."

Jane handed Serena the glass, and Serena reluctantly took it. She looked at the wine, and then back at Jane. She first looked at Jane's cup, and much to her surprise, it was already empty. She then looked up at Jane, to see her already licking the remaining drops of wine off her lips. Serena shuddered. Without hesitation, she handed the glass of wine back to Jane.

"I can't... Alcohol and I don't have a very good history..." said Serena distantly.

"Oh come on, Serena, it's just _one_ drink. What's the worst that can happen? You're at a college party; have some fun!" said Jane, handing the glass back to Serena. Serena took it back, and stared down at the red beverage with uncertainty. She took a deep breath.

"*Sigh*, fine..." replied Serena, rolling her eyes.

Serena took a sip of the wine, and felt fine at first. But then, a terrible feeling came over her. Guilt and anger. She had just made a bad decision, basically proving Red right to assume that she needed to be watched at parties. She then thought of Ash, who was more than likely going to be attacked by Red, since she had made a bad decision under his watch. Then, she thought of the irony. And needless to say, that stung the most.

"See? That wasn't too bad, was it?" asked Jane.

Serena didn't answer. Instead she slowly turned to Jane, her eyes narrow. The alcohol had already set in, and Serena's dark side had come to the surface.

"Jane..." muttered Serena quietly. "How many strands of hair do you think a tiger has?"

"I dunno, 7?" answered Jane, and eyebrow raised. "How on Earth would I know something like that off head?"

"W-well excuuuuuuuse me, b-_bitch_!" spat Serena, shakily rising to her feet. "You're so, so STUPID! ANd y-y-y'know what? You're dumb too! Everybody knows that a tiger's got a couple hundred thousand strands of h-hair. UGH!"

"Serena what the fuck are you talking abou-"

"Hey Serena! I found my cell phone! You'll never guess where I found it!" called Ash as he jogged over, a goofy smile on his face. As soon as he arrived, Jane took it as her chance to escape, leaving Ash to deal with the monster she had accidentally created. Ash watched Jane walk away, and then turned to Serena. She stared right back, one eye wider than the other. Ash raised an eyebrow and noticed an empty cup laying on the couch behind Serena. In a matter of seconds, he came up with a likely guess on what had happened. He facepalmed. "You _can't_ be serious..."

"Serious 'bout what?" slurred Serena, folding her arms. "Serious about h-how _sexier _I am than May? Because... cuz I am."

Ash frowned.

"I was enjoying this party, but I guess all good things really do come to an end... Let's get you back to your dorm, before you cause any trouble." said Ash dryly, grabbing Serena by the hand. But Serena wouldn't have that. She yanked her hand free from Ash's grip, and brought it up to slap him. Luckily, Ash was able to dodge the swipe just in time. "Holy shit..."

"Y-you shouldn't touch women like t-that!" growled Serena. "No manners!"

_"Oh man, this is going to take some work. I shouldn't have left her. Of course she'd end up getting drunk in the 5 minutes I was gone. So much for being 'a 19 year old girl capable of making good decisions'... If I'm careful, I'll be able to get away with this... and Red will never know..." _thought Ash as he slowly approached Serena. "Okay Serena, without touching you, I am going to take you back to your dorm, okay? You need some bed rest, and I'm here to help. Just follow me."

Serena glared at Ash, and looked him from top to bottom multiple times. She then pulled a coin out of her pocket and flipped it. It landed on tails. She nodded her head and put the coin back into her pocket.

"F-fine," she stuttered. "But only if we get t-to discussss something interesting along the w-way, like, like, liiiiiiiiike... Anti-Federalism."

"Okay, Serena. Follow me, and we'll talk about Anti-Federalism as much as you want." said Ash calmly, walking towards the door. Serena followed, bumping into a couple people on the way out.

* * *

"So, all in all, Anti-Federalism c-could be considered one of the causes f-for the American Civil War." said Serena. "The southern s-states were supporters of states' rights, while the northern ones were in favor of a strong federal g-government."

"Wow Serena, that was really interesting." said Ash with fake enthusiasm. He was driving back to Serena's dorm, and his eyes were on the road. He had purposely made Serena sit in the back seat, since having someone like her sit next to him in the passenger's seat was a hazard. Overall, she had been pretty manageable for the whole ride, but that was because she was talking about governments and philosophies, things she only enjoyed talking about when drunk. But now that their conversation had seemingly come to an end, he had to stay on high alert. He looked at the rear-view mirror to check on Serena. Much to his surprise and discomfort, she was already looking back at him. He quickly looked back at the road, but it was too late. He had been spotted.

"Hey Ash..." said Serena slowly.

"Yeah Serena?"

"You know... y-you're p-pretty handsome. Reeeaalllly pretty handsome."

...

Ash stared straight ahead at the road, pretending that he had never heard Serena's compliment.

"Y-y'know, I'd even go so f-far as to c-call you hot, in y-your own neeeeeeerdy little way." purred Serena. Ash ignored her again. She pouted. "Heeyyyyyyy... say somethinggggg... When someone speaks to you, you should ANSWER!"

"Well what exactly do you want me to say?" replied Ash sharply. He sounded annoyed.

"I dunno..." giggled Serena loudly. "Hey Ashy... h-"

"You aren't allowed to call me that." snapped Ash. "May and _only _May can call me that."

"Y'know, no one's h-here... it's just you and I. I th-think that we could do something together."

Chills went through Ash's spine, because he immediately knew what Serena meant by 'do something together'. One of his eyes twitched slightly, and he frowned even more than he already was.

_"She's not herself right now. She's not herself right now. She's not herself right now. She's not herself right now..."  
_

"No." replied Ash coldly. "Not in a million years."

"Ugh!" grunted Serena, kicking the back of Ash's chair. "Y-you're no funnn... But c'mon, I'd b-bet a bazillion dollars that Red and May do stuff behind _our _backs... We should get sweet revenge... and make love t-to eachother every night. In secret, of course."

"I'd bet an infinite amount of dollars that they _don't _have sex behind our backs, and that you're just so drunk that you've reached a state of delirium." retorted Ash, aggravated. His patience was running to an all-time low, and if he didn't distract her with something soon, he might have just jumped out of the car. But luckily, a perfect idea came to mind. He looked in the rear-view mirror, and of course, Serena was already looking right back at him. She winked and blew him a kiss. He cringed slightly, shook off the discomfort, and put on a fake smile. And then, in the kindest tone he could muster, he said, "Hey Serena, let's play a game. Why don't you count the amount of blue cars we drive past? When we get back to your dorm, tell me."

"F-f-ffffuck blue cars! I'm counting the silver ones."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat."

"You d-dumbass, we're in a car, not a boat."

"Sorry." murmured Ash. _"How much did she drink? I've heard the stories, but I didn't think she'd be THIS much of an issue when drunk. She's trying to have an affair with me. I'm not an expert on alcoholic beverages, but whatever she took must have reeeeaaaaallly fucked her up. She's beyond help right now. I just have to get her back to her dorm, and make sure she doesn't kill anyone. I would say that I'd sleep in May's bed that night to make sure she doesn't escape, but I don't think it's a very good idea to sleep in the same room as Serena tonight. Yeah, that's a terrible idea."_

With Serena occupied, the rest of the car ride went by in wonderful silence. Occasionally, Serena would let out a mysterious giggle, but Ash decided to ignore them, since responding to any of her actions would surely result in more of her antics.

Finally, they both arrived at the dorms. Ash parked his car, and exhaled. The journey was almost over. All he had to do was get Serena into her dorm, lock her in, and victory would be his. He turned his head, a relieved smile on his face.

"Okay Serena, how many silver cars did you se-"

Before Ash could answer, he felt a hand reach from the back seat and cover his mouth. He then felt another hand slowly slither onto his shoulder, giving it a very unskilled massage. Ash's eyes widened, and he looked at the rear view mirror. She had to be directly behind him, because he couldn't see her. But he could hear her. He could hear her giggling.

"H-how many silver cars I c-counted?" whispered Serena. "Sixty-fucking-nine."

She began to giggle some more, and Ash took that as a chance to pry her hands off his mouth. Using both his hands, he removed her hand from his face, giving him time to speak.

"Serena, don't touch m-"

"Shut up!" shouted Serena, placing her hand over Ash's mouth again. "You and I aren't leaving this c-car... until cerrrrrtain parameters are met."

When Serena shouted, she woke the third living thing in the car, who had been sleeping soundly on the floor of the passenger's seat. Pikachu opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw were Serena's hand wrapped tightly around Ash's mouth. Ash looked at Pikachu, with pleading eyes. Just from Ash's look, Pikachu knew exactly what to do.

"Piiiiikaaaaa..." started Pikachu, sparks already flying off his cheeks.

But before the electric pokemon could finish his battle cry, Serena pulled out a pokeball from God-knows-where and threw it at Pikachu, capturing the mouse.

"No Pika... Pikach... um, Pichu, you cant join Ash and I..." laughed Serena.

"Swerena ghet awhay fwom me!" commanded Ash, his voice muffled by Serena's hands.

"No." replied Serena, removing her hands from Ash's mouth. With the dexterity of a ninja, Serena quickly grabbed both of Ash's wrists with one hand, the other still on his mouth. "Now, l-let's get this operation underwaaaaaayyyyy..."

Ash's eyes widened, realizing that Serena hadn't been counting silver cars at all. She had been thinking of a perfect plan to force him into having sex with her, which was why she had been giggling every few minutes. Ash sighed.

_"Crap... She's got both my wrists in her grip... how can I escape?"_

Suddenly, Ash felt Serena's hand remove itself from his mouth. Immediately after, he heard some shuffling sounds in the back seat.

"Serena... what are you doing?" asked Ash, fearing the worst.

"Oh nothing, j-just getting something for you... aha! Here it is! Hold on a sec..."

There was a popping sound. Suddenly, the smell of fine wine filled the air. Ash's eyes widened for what felt like the millionth time that night.

_"Where did she get more alcohol from?! I don't drink, why would wine be in my ca-... RED!"_

Ash silently cursed his twin brother, as the wine that Serena had found in the back seat was Red's. A few days prior, Red had decided that he wanted to start a wine collection, and asked Ash to pick up some wine that he had ordered online. Ash had done just that, but when the time came to take the wine back to their room, he had forgotten it in the car. He regretted that.

"Serena," said Ash monotonously. "please, don't drink anymore. You're already drunk enough."

"You're sooooooo silly... don't you know that..." whispered Serena seductively as she leaned forward, bringing herself closer to Ash. The only thing between them was Ash's seat. "This is for you!"

Ash opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped before he could speak. As soon as his mouth opened, Serena shoved the bottle of wine in, allowing it to pour into Ash's mouth. Ash could do nothing but swallow, the bitter taste filling his whole mouth. He struggled the free himself from the nightmare, but Serena's grip on his wrists was unbreakable.

"That's it..." she cooed evilly. "It's almost done..."

Ash looked at the bottle, and realized that she was right. The bottle was almost empty, all of the contents having gone down his throat. Once the wine was finished, Serena removed the bottle from Ash's mouth and released her hold on him. As soon as he was free, Ash took the car keys out of the ignition and reached for the door handle. But he was having trouble getting his hand to grab the handle. The wine's effects were already setting in, due to the fact that Serena had forced him to chug it.

_"Dammit... this isn't good... I just have to get out of the car, and lock her in. I just gotta lock her in... before I'm completely drunk..."_

Ash tried to reach for the door handle again, but found it to be one of the most difficult things he had ever done. Every time he thought he had it, he didn't. With each second, he lost more and more control, and it wasn't soon before the usual traits of a drunk person started to become apparent. Serena seemed to be waiting patiently in the back seat, most likely waiting for Ash to give up. Luckily for her, he did just that after a full minute of failed attempts to open the door.

"Fuuuuuuck this dooooor..." groaned Ash. "It won't fucking open! Like, what kind of door doesn't fucking open?!"

"I dunnooo... it seems like we're locked in..." replied Serena.

"FUCK!" roared Ash, punching the steering wheel.

"That's an awwwwwwesome idea..." said Serena, tugging on Ash's shirt.

No longer himself, Ash turned around and looked at Serena. If he wasn't intoxicated, he would have either screamed, turned red, or both. Serena was completely naked, her clothes scattered all over the back seat. She had a smile on her face, but it wasn't the smile he was used to seeing. It was a big, toothy grin, and her eyes weren't fully open. Her hair was a mess, many stray stands falling onto her face, giving her a wild look. She tugged on his shirt some more, and Ash, silent as a mouse, simply climbed into the back seat.

"Like what you seeeee?" asked Serena in a sultry voice, her cyan eyes on Ash's brown ones.

"Yes-no... yeah, noooo... yes." said Ash confusedly. Once in the back seat, he looked at Serena again, making sure she was actually naked. She was. He took his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes, once again thinking he was hallucinating. As he rubbed his eyes, Serena took his glasses from his hand and threw them into the front seat, out of Ash's reach. Ash, fully drunk, looked at Serena in disappointment. "The fuck, Serena? Where in fuck's name are YOUR manners? E-earlier you were talking bullshit, saying _I _didn't have any... and here you are p-pulling crazy shit like that... Y-you see, you c-can't just throw a guy's glasses like tha-"

Serena pushed Ash onto his back, and climbed on top of him. Her mouth collided with his, pulling Ash into a kiss that he never fathomed could happen. Ash simply kissed back, with just as much intensity. His glasses were off, and the car was dark. The combination of darkness, blurry vision, and alcohol had given Ash a completely different view on Serena. It looked like May. A small part of him tried to reason that May was away on a trip, but a large part of him decided that logic was for losers, and that he was currently kissing May, his girlfriend. Deciding to believe the larger part, Ash's hands immediately clamped into Serena's ass, giving off a drunken laugh as he did it.

They remained for what felt like days, sloppily sucking each other's lips off, until Serena decided to change things up. She stopped the kiss and sat up, giving her a great view of 19 year-old man she was currently perched on. His hair had gotten messier during the kiss, and he had a distant, elated smile on his face. He began to laugh like an idiot again, and this made Serena start to giggle too. As she giggled, she started to childishly tug at Ash's neon green t-shirt. Ash took off the shirt, and threw it at Serena's face.

"You are suuuuuch a jerk..." giggled Serena as she removed the shirt from her face.

"Heheheheheheh... this is fun. Should I... um, should I... fuck, should I take _these _off too?" asked Ash, pointing to his black jeans. "Cuz I wanna take 'em off..."

"Nooooo, stupid. _I'm _gonna t-take them off."

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? I wanna take them offffffff!"

"Well tooooooo bad, I'm taking them off..." said Serena as she slid off of Ash's legs, removing herself from his body.

As soon as she got off Ash, she began to undo his belt at an incredibly fast rate. Once it was off, she slowly pulled his pants off, letting out a (what sounded at the time) sexy laugh as she did it. Ash simply watched, his face straight. As she pulled his pants down his legs, Serena made eye contact with Ash, and kept it. She grinned, and Ash scratched his head.

"Ahhh... rrrr...Never mind... it's way more hot when you t-take them off..."

Serena nodded her head.

"Hey Ashy..." sang Serena. "Remember how many s-silver cars I sawww?"

"Um... wait, I know this... uhhh, I think... I think it was 69... ohohohoh... 69..."

";)"

":D"

From then on, the rest of the night was a blur, filled with moans, groans, screams, and yelps. In their drunken stupor, Serena and Ash had done something which they never thought possible. Whether it was the alcohol or not, there was no excuse for what they did, but neither of them could think of the consequences; Only the hot, steamy, scandalous activities that they were partaking in. After all the foreplay, the two went on to the main event. But by the time they had reached that, their brains were just piles of mush and alcohol. They finished pretty quickly, both of them losing consciousness in quick succession.

* * *

"And that's all I remember!" shouted Serena frantically, putting her clothes on.

"Oh my godddd..." said Ash, panic filling his voice. He had quickly dressed himself while Serena explained the events of the night before. "Serena, do you have any idea what we've done?!"

"No, I don't." said Serena sarcastically.

"Well I'll tell you!" cried Ash, turning to Serena. He clearly didn't pick up on the sarcasm. "We cheated on Red and May! We're terrible people! We're monsters! How are we gonna live with ourselves knowing that we've betrayed the ones who love u-"

"Ash!" shouted Serena, silencing the panicking student. "Calm down. Yes, we did something really, _really _bad last night. But you have to remember, we weren't ourselves. We were drunk, and when you're drunk, you do stupid things."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts." said Serena assertively, grabbing Ash by the shoulders. "You and I are going to forget this happened. We are going to head to our dorms, shower, and wash away all leftover memories of last night. When Red and May ask what we did last night, we say that we just hung out in my room and didn't go to the party. Got it?"

"Got it. But we can't force ourselves to forget it though... it's going to be in the back of our minds forever..."

"I didn't mean to literally forget it. I don't think we'll ever be able to forget a night like that. But not speaking about it will make it less awkward."

Fully clothed, Serena reached for the car door, planning on leaving. Ash simply watched, her go. Serena, the girl who he'd always seen as May's high maintenance, and sometimes mean, twin sister. The girl who he'd never, ever even considered to be sexy. The girl who usually only spoke to him when she needed to insult him or give him some kind of advice. The girl who, while drunk, had lured him into sex.

Just then, an important question popped into Ash's mind. It wasn't a question that could have been saved for later either. It had to be asked right then and there.

"Serena, wait." said Ash, grabbing Serena's hand.

Serena turned her head towards Ash, surprisingly undisturbed by Ash's hand touching hers. "Hm?"

"You seem to remember a lot more about last night than I do... I just have to ask... was I better at you-know-what than Red?"

"... I hate you." replied Serena dryly, yanking her hand free from Ash's.

"Wait, I have another question!" said Ash.

"Choose your next words wisely." warned Serena darkly.

"Why were you so bent on having sex with me last night? I get that you were drunk, but still... it seems kind of odd, don't ya think?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight; you fell down a flight of stairs, face first, _twice_?" asked May, examining Ash's bruised face.

"Yeah, stairs..." replied Ash monotonously, watching Serena out of the corner of his eye. She nodded in approval, her face straight and unforgiving.

"Wow, must have been a crazy night." laughed May.

"Yeah..." said both Ash and Serena, both staring off into the distance.

* * *

**Okay, done. I'm sure some of you are probably upset that I didn't make this a lemon, but I just didn't want to write one. I dunno, I just didn't think that it had to be written in detail, just enough for the reader to know what happened. **

**Anyway, here's the hint for the next one.**

May and Serena both quietly walked through the store, neither really feeling like speaking. Finally, they reached the aisle they had come to look through. The books. They both looked on the shelves, and after a few minutes of searching, May spotted what they were looking for. She handed the book to Serena.

The title of the book? "How to Be A Parent."

**Seeya next time.**

**~DarkSlash9**


	15. Tests

**Hi. As usual, sorry for taking so long to update. Here we go, another one-shot. This one was requested by someone named SuperGV88. As usual, check the bottom of the page for the hint at what the next one-shot will be about.  
**

**Q&amp;A**

Cromium23

Why did Ash and Serena have sex? Does Ash like Serena? Will Red and May know about it? When?

**Answer: Ash and Serena were drunk. Ash doesn't really like Serena. Red and May may or may not find out.**

Guest

Is it possible for you to update more often?

**Answer: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid not. As always, I'm pretty busy nowadays. With the schoolwork, sports, and Driver's Ed, I don't have much time to write.**

**Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own pokemon.**

* * *

**One-Shot 4**

Tests

* * *

It was a warm, Spring day. The bird-types were chirping, the beedrills were buzzing, and little children from ages 2 to 10 were playing games such as 'Hop Scotch' and 'Extreme Rock-Paper-Scissors'. It was a beautiful day, and everyone, even the students of Cinnabar Island University, were taking advantage of the good weather. Some students decided to study outdoors, while some decided to set up volley ball nets and play a couple games. Everyone was enjoying the pseudo-Summer sun.

Well, _almost_ everyone.

...

Locked in their dorm room were two roommates. They were sisters, and they were both in their beds, groaning in discomfort. One sister had smooth brown hair and sapphire eyes, a green bandanna tied to her aching head. The other had long, curly, honey colored hair. Her cyan eyes were half open, her shiny locks of hair sprawled all over her bed in disarray. These sisters were none other than Serena and May Maple, both 19 years of age, and both sick.

"I don't get it... how can we both be sick at the exact same time?" moaned May.

"We live together... it's pretty easy for one of us to catch a sickness from the other." groaned Serena.

"But what kind of sickness is this? I feel so nauseous... and I..."

"You what?" asked Serena.

"I missed my period this month..." whispered May.

Serena's eyes widened.

"You too?" she asked, sitting up. "I also missed mine..."

Both girls froze. May slowly sat up, looking directly at Serena. Serena looked right back, and frowned.

"When was the last time you... y'know, _got it on _with Red?" asked May.

"A week or two ago..." lied Serena. Truth was, the last person she did it with was Ash, after that party. But she and Ash already agreed to never speak of that, so she had to lie. "When was the last time you and Ash did it?"

"Also about a week or two ago..." answered May. "You don't think we're..."

"No." answered Serena sharply. "There's no way we're pregnant."

"But Ash and Red don't use cond-"

"But we're both on the pill. It's impossible. And us missing our periods doesn't mean we're pregnant. Sometimes girls just don't get them on time..."

"I don't want to hear any scientific mumbo-jumbo! And the pill isn't a 100% guarantee!" said May, panic already setting in. She sprung off her bed and waddled over to Serena, grabbing her equally nauseous sister by the shirt. "Oh my gosh, we are _so _pregnant! OH gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh... Serena what are going to do?! I told you that we should be more careful, BUT NO ONE EVER LISTENS TO ME! WHY WON'T ANYBODY LISTEN TO MEEEEEEE?!"

"Stop yelling. 1. You never said anything about this, and 2. You're ridiculous." sighed Serena. "I'm telling you, we're not pregnant. But if you're really that scared... we'll go to the supermarket and buy some pregnancy tests..."

"Let's!"

* * *

"Hey Red?"

Red turned to Ash. The two brothers were currently on their way to May and Serena's room, planning on keeping their sick girlfriends some company. Neither of the Ketchum boys truly believed May and Serena were actually sick. They had both agreed that it was most likely 'that time of the month' for both girls, and they were just feeling moody. Having gone through many of these times with the Maple twins, Ash and Red knew just what to bring. In Red's hands was a box of chocolates, one with an assortment of all colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors. In Ash's right hand was a bottle of root beer, and in his other was a big tub of vanilla ice-cream.

But for some reason, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that something was up. He had gained the feeling ever since his last sexual encounter with May. He hadn't spoken to anyone about it, but he decided that it was something Red should think about too, so before they entered May and Serena's building, Ash nudged Red with his elbow. But apparently he had done it too hard, because Red almost fell over, his head colliding with the glass doors in front of them.

"Heheh... sorry." said Ash.

Red glared at Ash, his eyes practically glowing in rage.

"I said I was sorry. Look, there's been something on my mind for the past two weeks, and I think you should know. I... I don't think we should be having um, er, unprotected sex with May and Serena anymore."

Red tilted his head.

"Yeah, I know they're on the pill, but that's not a complete guarantee that nothing will happen. What if they get pregnant? Mom would kill us, Mrs. Maple would kill us, and oh my god, Mr. Maple would slaughter us! It's just too risky for us to continue doing things as unsafe as we're doing them. If something happens, the consequences will be awful."

Red shrugged.

"Red, I'm serious. Maybe we should take some responsibility."

Red shrugged again.

"*sigh*, whatever. _I'm _going to buy some condoms. Just don't come crying to me when Red Jr. comes several years earlier than expected."

Red shrugged a third time.

"T_T... let's just go." muttered Ash, opening the door.

The two brothers walked in, immediately heading towards the elevator. They entered, but it wasn't just them in the elevator. There was a small family too. A father, a mother, and a baby. The baby looked no more than 6 months old, it's hands barely the size of an Oreo cookie. A grotesque amount of saliva was dribbling out of its mouth, but for a reason Ash and Red just couldn't cpmprehend, the child's parents thought it was the most adorable thing they had ever laid eyes upon. The baby started to play with it's saliva, grossing Ash and Red out even more. It then turned to it's left, looking right at Ash and Red.

The mother turned the Ash and Red, a smile on her face. "Awww, it looks like Little Tommy wants to say hello to y-"

Without any sort of warning, the baby projectile vomited onto Ash's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. He tends to do that." apologized the mother. The elevator then beeped, and the door opened. "Oh would you look at that, this our floor. Come on honey, it's time for little Tommy to meet his big brother!"

The family then walked out, leaving a vomit-covered Ash and a laughing Red inside.

* * *

"Serenaaaaaaaaaaaa..." groaned May loudly. "Can't you drive any faster?!"

"Will you sh-shut up? I'm already above the speed limit..." replied Serena, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"UGHHHHHHHHHHH!" cried May. "Are we there yet?"

"No..." growled Serena.

* * *

After washing the vomit off Ash, the two Ketchum brothers made their way to Serena and May's dorm room. Red had been barely able to suppress his laughter the whole time, no matter how many times Ash glared at him. Ash's bad luck was something that would always amuse Red, no matter what gross or unlucky fate came upon him. Ash knew that, and that's why he eventually stopped trying to shut Red up.

So with one wearing a cheeky grin, and the other wearing a miserable scowl, the two brothers approached their girlfriends' door. They knocked on the door and waited. There was no response. They looked at each other, shrugged, and knocked again. Once again, there was no answer.

"Maybe they're not there?" asked Ash, turning to Red. Red ignored Ash and knocked on the door again, harder than before. Ash turned to Red, and incredulous look in his eye. He grabbed Red's hand, stopping the knocking. "There's a difference between knocking on their door and breaking it down."

In response, Red pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed a few words. He then pressed a button.

"Where do you think they are?" asked the phone in a robotic, male voice.

"Maybe they're at the supermarket or something." said Ash, walking down the hall. "Text Serena and ask."

Red nodded and opened his Favorites menu on his phone. Of course, Serena was on it. He selected her name and began to type.

_**"Hey, where are you and May? Ash and I are in front of your dorm; with chocolates, ice-cream, and soda."  
**_

Red pressed the 'Send' button, and pushed his phone back into his pocket.

"Come on," called Ash from the other end of the hall. "Let's just go and check for them at the supermarket. We may see them there, and even if we don't, we forgot to buy them some medication, so let's go buy some."

Red nodded and jogged after Ash.

* * *

"Serenaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"Yes?" asked Serena through gritted teeth.

"Where's the 'Female Hygiene' aisle?"

"I'm looking for it..."

"Look harder... I feel like I'm doing all the work here, and you're not pulling your own weight." said May, crossing her arms. "This is a team effort, y'know."

Serena was just about ready to throw May off a cliff at that point, because May's statement couldn't have been any further from the truth. They were in the supermarket. Serena was pushing the cart, and May was _in _the cart. We claimed she was too weak to walk, and that it was 'absolutely necessary' that she sat in the cart. But having to push May around in a cart was not the only thing that annoyed Serena. Serena was the one who had driven both of them there, having to deal with May's moans and groans the whole time. It was almost as if May had forgotten that they were _both _sick.

"If I wasn't on the verge of vomiting... I'd push you down the nearest flight of stairs..." muttered Serena.

"If _I_ wasn't on the verge of vomiting..." repeated May with sass, giving Serena a sideways glance. "I'd say you don't have the ovaries to do it!"

Serena looked around, and saw pretty much every nearby person look at her and her sister. There was a mother who was covering her little son's ears. There was a couple that was simply staring at them. There was a little girl who turned to her mother and asked what ovaries were; the mother ignored the girl. In short, every adult near them looked at the two in either disapproval or disgust. Serena didn't blame them, who wouldn't be annoyed with two young adults arguing out loud, using adult words? And it didn't help that May was sitting in the cart either; that just made them look insane.

Embarrassed, Serena pushed the cart a little faster, turning into the nearest aisle. She turned so fast that May reeled to one end of the cart, her hands instinctively reaching for the sides of the cart to keep her from falling out. May turned to Serena, her sapphire eyes burning with rage.

"Watch it! You could have killed me!" growled May.

"Oh shut up. You were being an immature brat, and people started to stare... I had to get us out of the situation." said Serena nonchalantly. "Besides, look where we are."

May looked around, and saw that they were in the aisle they were looking for, the Female Hygiene aisle.

"Hm... Good job." said May, shakily climbing out of the cart. "Now let's find those pregnancy tests. You check the right side, and I'll check the left!"

"Alright..." answered Serena, beginning her search.

She looked up and down the shelves, and it seemed they were filled with every single thing she _didn't _need. And the worst part was, it seemed to get odder and odder as she went down the aisle. It started out with the average, everyday female needs. But as she approached the end of the aisle, things she had never even seen were presented to her. Scented female adult diapers was just one of them. Sure, those were pretty odd in her opinion, but they were nothing compared to what she saw next. There was a Jumbo Pack of the adult female diapers, a Heavy Duty pack, an Environmentally Friendly pack, and to top it all off, there was a Christmas pack.

_"Christmas?" _thought Serena, the sight of the Christmas diapers irritating her. _"It's freaking April!"_

While Serena struggled to understand the concept behind Christmas diapers, May searched the left side of the aisle. Halfway through, she found what they had come for; pregnancy tests. With a relieved smile, May grabbed the first two tests she saw.

"I found 'em." called May, turning to Serena.

May tossed one of the boxes to Serena, who eyed the box with suspicion. First off, all the words on the box were in Japanese. There was not a single English word to be found on the box. There was a picture of a pregnancy test on it, and behind the test was the same shape that usually surrounded the word "POW" in a comic book. The box was a colorful one, with most of the box being either hot pink, bright yellow, or navy blue. And to top the weirdness off, there was a little drawing of a Japanese man winking in the corner with a couple more Japanese symbols floating under his head.

"Of all the tests you could have picked out..." muttered Serena, still staring at the box. "What exactly told you that this brand was 'the one'? Was it the Japanese man winking in the corner? Or the vibrant, child-like color scheme?"

"What are you talking about? They look like all the other boxes." said May, waving her hand in dismissal.

"We can't even read the boxes." growled Serena. "How are we going to read the directions if everything is in Japanese?"

"Who needs directions? You just, y'know, dip it in your-"

Serena quickly covered May's mouth with her hand, preventing May from saying something that shouldn't be said in the middle of a store. May looked at Serena in confusion, but Serena ignored the look.

"*sigh* Just stop talking." whispered Serena, letting go of May's mouth. "Let me just try to translate what the box says with my phone."

Serena fished into her pockets and felt around. Her pockets were empty. She reached into her purse and rummaged through it. After what seemed like an eternity of searching, Serena's shoulder's slumped.

"I forgot my phone at the dorm." she admitted.

"You too? I also forgot mine, but I thought you'd have yours..." said May. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to wing it."

"This isn't something you can just-"

"Come onnnnn..." groaned May, pulling Serena towards the front of the store. "Let's pay for these things and get out of here..."

Serena sighed and followed May to the front of the store.

* * *

"She's not answering your texts?" asked Ash. He was driving to the supermarket, hoping May and Serena were there.

Red shook his head.

"What about May? Did you text her too?" asked Ash.

Red nodded.

"No answer?"

Red nodded.

"Shit..." muttered Ash under his breath. "Now I'm starting to get worried. What if something happened to them? Buckle up Red, I'm going to speed up a little."

Ash pressed the gas pedal a little more, sending their car a solid 10 mph over the speed limit. The roads were nearly empty, so there was no threat of crashing. But still, Red found it a little ironic that Ash, who had just lectured Red half an hour ago about being more careful, was speeding. Seeming to have picked up on the irony too, Ash growled and slowed the car down. Red smirked.

"Oh whatever." retorted Ash, stopping the car at a red light.

They waited for the light to turn green. It seemed to take an eternity to do so, leaving Ash and Red lots of time to observe their surroundings. The supermarket was barely in sight, less than a mile away. All they had to do was drive to the next light and make a left turn. While Ash kept his eyes on the entrance of the market, Red scanned the parking lot for May or Serena's cars. At first they saw nothing, but right then, at the same time, they both spotted something worth mentioning. Red spotted Serena's white Nissan Maxima. It was parked near the back of the parking lot. Ash spotted two girls exiting the market, one wearing a pink hat, the other a green bandanna.

"Red, that's them!" said Ash, pointing to them. "So they _were _at the supermar-"

"DRIVE YOU JACKASS, THE LIGHT'S GREEN!" roared someone from behind Ash's car, honking their horn repeatedly. "HOLY SHIT, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS!"

"Oh! Um, a-ah, uhhhhh...!" stuttered Ash, startled by the sudden shouts. Red had much calmer response. He simply rolled down his window and stuck his arm into the air, giving the car behind them the middle finger. Ash let out some sort of high pitched gasp in disbelief. "RED, ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!"

In pure panic, Ash stepped on the gas, placing the pedal to the medal. The car sped forward, leaving the car behind them in the dust. Without even waiting to see if traffic was clear or not, Ash turned left into the supermarket's complex, almost crashing into a nearby tree. Ash looked into the rear-view mirror, and saw that the person who Red had flipped off didn't follow them. Ash sighed in relief, regaining his composure. He parked the car in the nearest parking lot and looked at Red, a deep fire of anger burning in his eyes.

"Are you _TRYING _get us killed?!" growled Ash, his voice cracking.

Red shrugged nonchalantly and then opened his car door.

Once out of the car, Red stretched and let out a lazy yawn. Mid yawn, Serena's car drove by. Red looked into the car, and as he expected, May and Serena were in it. But he didn't expect them to keep on driving, May and Serena's wide eyes making eye contact with Red's. By the end of the moment, Red's mouth was still open, but not from his yawn. Before Ash even got out of the car, Red scrambled back into the car, confusing Ash.

"What are you doing?" asked Ash.

Red pointed out the window. Ash looked, and saw Serena's car leaving the parking lot.

"Oh." said Ash, starting the car. "Well, now we know where they are, and we know that they're safe. There's no rush."

Ash looked again, and saw May and Serena speed away, much faster than necessary. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Well," he said, shifting into reverse. "I stand corrected. It seems like there _is _a rush."

* * *

"WHY ARE THEY HERE?!" screamed May, panicking.

"I DON'T KNOW!" screamed Serena, just as panicked.

"DRIVE FASTER!" cried May.

"I'M ALREADY 20 ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT!" wailed Serena.

Serena's car zoomed down the road, running a couple red lights and stop signs. Seeing Ash and Red had sent them into a state of frenzy. Without being told, Serena had sped away. But apparently, her current speed wasn't enough for May.

"Are they close?!" asked Serena.

May rolled down the window and stuck her head outside the car, looking for any sign of Ash and Red. They were far, at least a mile away. But to May, the distance looked a lot shorter.

"THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND US!" cried May, rolling up her window. "Serena, we _cannot _let them catch up to us. We can't talk to them until we use these pregnancy tests!"

"I know that!"

"Then drive faster! Or at least try to lose them!" commanded May. Suddenly, she felt an odd feeling in her stomach. In all the commotion, she had forgotten that they were both sick. "Holy guacamole, I think I'm gonna-"

May grabbed Serena's hat and vomited into it, effectively rendering the hat unwearable.

"IN MY HAT?!" roared Serena.

* * *

"Why the heck are they speeding up so much?" asked Ash, his eyes fixed on Serena's car. "Are they trying to get _away _from us?"

Red shrugged.

"I don't get it..." muttered Ash.

As he followed May and Serena's speedy car, out of nowhere, a thought popped into his mind.

_"What if... what if they're pregnant?! What if... what if I'M the father... of BOTH! No, I'm just thinking of a worst case scenario. I'm just overreacting. But what if I'm not? If I umm... 'knocked up' Serena that night, then she'd start feeling different right about now, right? And then I also had sex with May the next day... oh my god... nonononononononononononono... NO! I'm just over-thinking. Come on Ash, focus on driving..."  
_

Ash turned his attention back to the road, and saw Serena's car, which was a few hundred feet away, make a left turn at a stop sign. Ash got ready to do the same, but he had to stop the car. Unlike Serena who was able to make the left turn undisturbed, Ash had to stop, because an 18-wheeler truck was driving by.

"Come on..." whispered Ash. "How long is this goddamn truck?!"

By the time the truck had completely passed, Serena's car was out of sight. Ash punched the steering wheel. He then pulled his hand back and shook it in the air, swearing under his breath. He had accidentally hurt himself. Red laughed.

* * *

"Thank Arceus for that super-big truck..." moaned May weakly, Serena's barf-filled hat in her hands. "We're in the clear now... let's go back to the dorms."

"No." said Serena sharply.

"Why not? That's where we live, in case you forgot, dummy." reasoned May.

"That's exactly where Ash and Red will expect us to be..." said Serena, making a left turn.

"So where are we headed to?" asked May.

"We're going back to the supermarket to we can 1. Use the pregnancy tests there, and 2. Buy me a new hat, since you decided to use my favorite one as your personal vomit bucket."

"Oh, heheh, sorry about that... well, um, if you feel like throwing up, feel free to use my bandanna.. heheh..." joked May awkwardly.

Serena did not laugh.

* * *

Ash and Red opened the door to their dorm room, both of them looking as sad and confused as they could be. As soon as he got to his bed, Red collapsed face-first into it, finding everything that had happened in the day so far to be stressful and tiring. Ash wanted to do the same, but he had other things in mind. He jogged over to his computer and turned it on. He needed advice, and there were only two people that he could think of that could give the perfect advice for the situation.

After opening his Video Chat App, he clicked their names and waited.

"Please pick up..." grumbled Ash under his breath.

One of the people picked up, their face appearing on the screen. They had spiky brown hair, black eyes, and their usual cocky grin.

"Sup, Ashy-boy!" greeted Gary.

"Hi Gar-"

"Hey Ash!" called another voice, this one feminine. From behind Gary emerged Dawn.

"Hi Dawn." said Ash. "Look guys, I need some advi-"

Just then, the second person Ash called picked up, making it a three-way video chat. The final person had black hair, gray eyes, and a backwards cap. His eyes were bloodshot, but he seemed to be in a good mood.

"Sup boyyyys..." greeted Ethan, laughing after his greeting. He then noticed that Dawn was right next to Gary. He laughed. "And girl."

"Hey Ethan." said Ash, noticing Ethan's odd behavior. "You okay?"

"Ya... I'm just really... reaaaaaaally high... like sky high. Oh shit, Sky High... love that movie. But anyway, yeah, I'm stoned dude. So what's up?"

"Umm... maybe we should just leave you alone then..." said Gary with uncertainty.

"Nah. I'm good." insisted Ethan. "What's up Ash? You got girl problems or something? Dude, if you do... I could help. You know, I'm like, super good with girls. I date them, I kiss them. I'm an alpha male, born and raised in the village of Pimp-Town, population: me. Heheheh... so tell me your troubles, Ash... tell me those goddamn troubles of yours you fuck-tart."

Ash cut the connection with Ethan, leaving only he and Gary in the video chat.

"Geez... you didn't even say goodbye." commented Dawn.

"I'm not in the mood for that." grumbled Ash. "Look, I need some advice from you two."

"What kind of advice?" asked Gary. "May givin' you troubles?"

"Kinda. May texted me this morning telling me that she and Serena were sick. Red and I wanted to visit them, but when we did, they weren't in their dorm. So we went to the supermarket and caught them there, but they drove away as soon as they saw us. Red and I went after them, but they got away... Red and I have no idea what's going on. Any ideas?"

Dawn and Gary both pondered for a while before looking at each other, then at Ash. They seemed to have reached an agreement.

"We have no idea." said Dawn and Gary together.

"Oh wow guys, real freaking helpful." snapped Ash sarcastically. "I feel so much better now."

"Hey hey, no need to get sassy." said Dawn. "We may not know what's going on, but we can still give some advice!"

"We can?" asked Gary, turning to Dawn.

"Well, no," answered Dawn, shoving Gary off his chair. Now only Dawn was in the picture. "_I_ can, because I'm a girl. Alright, from what you've told me, May and Serena are avoiding you and Red. When I avoid Gary, it's because he's either being too stupid or he's not satisfying my womanly needs, if you know what I'm sayin'."

Ash tilted his head. "Womanly needs...? You mean like buying her make-up or bandannas?"

"No, a different type of womanly need. You know... hot, steamy action." said Dawn, her eyes narrowing. A sultry smile spread across her face. "Action that only _you _have the right to deliver. When was the last time you two did it?"

"I dunno, about 2 weeks ago... why?"

"2 WEEKS?" shrieked both Dawn and Gary, the latter reappearing next to Dawn.

"What?" asked Ash.

"Dude, Dawn and I get it on like Donkey Kong like, every other day!" roared Gary. He seemed genuinely upset. "No wonder she's avoiding you!"

"Ash, I'm disappointed in you! I thought you two would at least be doing it twice a week!" yelled Dawn.

"Well sorry that May and I aren't sex addicts like you two are. And us not doing it every other day like you guys do doesn't mean I don't spend time with her. We still go on dates, hang out, play games, kiss, and all that. It's enough for us. Red and Serena are the same way." replied Ash.

"Maybe it's enough for _you guys..._" started Gary.

"But it might not be enough for_ them..._" finished Dawn.

"B-but if we were to do it every other day, which we won't, May and Serena would get pregnant in no time... Actually, now that I think of it, how the hell is Dawn _not _pregnant if you do it that often?"

"Please, my pull-out game is strong." said Gary confidently. Ash rolled his eyes. Ash opened his mouth to speak, but Gary put up a hand, indicating he wanted to speak first. "As much I'd love to talk more, Dawn and I have some _important_ business to get to... But we've already talked long enough for you to know what to do. You and Red need to put on your big-boy pants... actually, scratch that, you gotta take 'em off. Give the ladies what they want. Peace."

With that, Gary and Dawn's faces disappeared from the screen. leaving it blank. Red, who had listened to the whole conversation, looked at Ash. Ash looked back.

"Well Red... I think it's safe to agree that we never ask for their advice again... they're both psychopaths."

Red nodded, completely agreeing with his raven-haired brother.

"But we should try to find them one more time. Let's go to their dorm and see if they're there. They should be back by now. We're gonna have to walk though; Your car is still at the repair shop, and mine is low on gas. I really don't feel like going to the gas station."

Red nodded, hopping out of his bed. Ash stood from his chair and followed Red out the door.

* * *

"Alright... we bought you a new hat. Let's go use the tests now..." whined May. "I'm starting to feel really bad about running from Ash and Red."

"Okay, okay... let's go." sighed Serena weakly, putting on her new hat.

After a series of wrong turns and arguments, the girls had finally made it to the women's bathroom. They both walked to the stalls, and before they went in, both girls pulled the pregnancy tests out of their bags, looking at the oddly colored boxes. They looked at eachother, and both took deep breaths.

"Here goes..." said Serena.

"I'm scared..." whimpered May.

"Let's just get it over with..." said Serena, opening her stall.

Throughout the day, the cyan-eyed beauty had seemed to be the more level-headed of the two, but it was all an act. Her whole mind had been in a state of turmoil and fear the whole day, only getting worse and worse as the minutes went by. If she was pregnant, then the father would have had to be Ash, since he was the last person she had had sex with. If Ash was the father, that would ruin everything. May would never forgive her. Red would probably break up with her, and Ash would most likely blame her for all of it, since it was her drunken antics that caused it to happen in the first place. And then there was her parents. They'd probably kill her for having sex period, let alone with someone that _wasn't _her boyfriend.

By the time she had fully entered the stall, she found it nearly impossible to lock it, because her hands were shaking too much. After getting everything ready, Serena took the test. From common knowledge, she knew that if two lines appeared on the end, she was pregnant, and if one line appeared, she wasn't. After she took the test, she looked at the end of the test.

Two lines.

"Serena...?" asked May from the next stall over. "Two lines means that I'm _not _pregnant, right?"

"...No." answered Serena, her body as stiff as a stick. "It means you're pregnant... and... so am I."

"..."

"..."

"Well..." started May, her voice shaky. "Looks like... Ash is gonna be a daddy..."

Serena was about to say 'of two', but she stopped herself.

"As will Red..." said Serena, her voice raspy.

The girls both gathered their things and exited the stalls, finally able to see each other. Serena looked at May. May looked afraid. She was biting her lip, and twiddling with her thumbs.

May looked at Serena. Serena looked pale, a look of pure disbelief on her face.

Both girls walked out of the bathroom, silent. They both quietly walked through the store, neither really feeling like speaking. Finally, they reached the aisle they had silently agreed to go to; the books. They both looked on the shelves, and after a few minutes of searching, May spotted what they were looking for. She handed the book to Serena. Eyes watering, Serena looked down at the book, reading the title. In big blue and pink letters the words _"How to Be A Parent." _were written across the cover.

"Let's go..." said Serena monotonously, walking away.

"Where to?" asked May glumly.

"Ash and Red." answered Serena.

* * *

"Red... why do _you_ think they're avoiding us?" asked Ash.

The two brothers were walking across their campus, on their way to May and Serena's dorm building. After hearing Ash's question, Red thought for a bit, and then shrugged. Ash frowned.

"Oh come on, you've gotta have some sort of suspicion. There's no way that you don't have some kind of theory."

Red sighed and took out his phone. He typed a few words and sent them to Ash. Ash's phone vibrated, and he looked at the message.

_**"Maybe they just need some space."**_

"You think so?"

Red shrugged. Ash sighed.

"If they'd just tell us what's wrong..."

Suddenly, a familiar car pulled up next to Ash and Red. They looked at the driver of the car, and saw it was Serena. Sitting in the passenger seat was May. Both sisters had straight faces on, looking neither happy nor sad to see their boyfriends. Ash and Red simply stared back, waiting for one of them to say something. May rolled down her window.

"Get in." she said quietly.

Red and Ash looked at each other, shrugged, and entered the car. Ash sat in the back-seat behind May, and Red sat behind Serena. Once both boys were in the car, Serena continued to drive. There was silence for a while, but then Ash cleared his throat.

"So... why were you avoiding us?" asked Ash. "Did we do something?"

"No..." answered May. "We umm... we just couldn't face you til we sorted some things out..."

"What did you need to sort out?" asked Ash.

"Well, um, you guys know we love you very much, right?" asked May.

Ash and Red nodded.

"Serena and I have something to tell you." she said.

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"Welll... we're umm... we're... Serena and I are... we're..."

"Breaking up with us?" asked Ash hesitantly.

"No!" replied May sharply. "We'd never do that... we're... Serena and I are... w-w-we-"

"May and I are pregnant." said Serena, realizing that May would never be able to spit out. "We're both pregnant."

Serena looked into the rear-view mirror, looking at Ash and Red. But mostly Ash. She waited for a reaction from him, since he should've been able to deduce that he was probably the father. But ever since they were told, Ash and Red had straight faces on. Serena glanced at May, who looked just as confused. Deciding that she needed to focus her full attention on this, she pulled the car over, parking on the side of the street. Once that was done, Serena and May turned around, and looked at their boyfriends.

Finally, Ash did something. He scratched his head.

"Are you sure?" asked Ash.

"Y-yes we're sure!" stuttered Serena. "Why wouldn't we be?!"

"I dunno... just asking." answered Ash. "No need to shout..."

"You guys aren't surprised or anything? You do realize that our parents are going to kill us, right?" asked May.

"I doubt it." said Ash with a smile. It almost sounded like he was laughing.

Everyone, even Red, looked at Ash as if he were insane. Why on Earth was he smiling? May and Red stayed confused, but Serena became enraged. She gripped her seat, her nails digging into the leather.

"Okay, what's so freaking funny?! For someone as smart as you are, you're taking this _much_ to lightly! We're pregnant, with _your _kids!" growled Serena, glaring daggers at Ash. "This is no time to be giggling! You're a dad now!"

"You said that as if they were both Ash's kids." commented May. "Red's got a kid too now..."

"Oh, yeah, that's what I meant." said Serena, momentarily losing her anger.

You guys aren't pregnant." said Ash, barely able to contain his laughter.

"Yes we are! We used the tests!" shouted Serena.

"You mean _these_ tests?" asked Ash, holding up the empty boxes that their pregnancy tests came in.

After looking at the box, Red raised an eyebrow. It looked ridiculous and much more colorful than the usual pregnancy tests. In fact, it didn't look real at all. It kinda looked like a box that a children's toy would come in.

"Yeah, those!" replied Serena.

"Serena, do you know what these boxes say?" asked Ash.

"No, it's not in English. They're in Korean or something." said Serena.

"Japanese, actually." corrected Ash.

"Whatever! Point is, none of us can read it!"

"_Actually_, I can read it." said Ash, his voice practically dripping with nerdiness. "I took some online Beginner's Japanese courses a few weeks ago, just in case you all forgot. I don't know why you chose to use pregnancy tests that you couldn't read, but that's none of my business. These aren't even pregnancy tests. They're toys."

...

"What do you mean by _'toys'_?" asked May slowly.

"If I'm reading these correctly, which I'm pretty sure I am, these are fake tests that give a positive reading even if the person's not pregnant. They're supposed to be used for pranks. Y'know, I thought the colorful box and the Japanese man winking on the corner of the box would have made it obvious that these weren't legitimate."

Serena turned to May, her face straight. It was May who had chosen the fake tests, and it was May who had dragged Serena away, not giving her the time to pick another brand. Realizing this, May softly giggled.

"Eheheh... umm, April Fools?" she said in a question rather than a statement. Red snorted.

"Today's April 3rd, not the 1st." said Ash.

"YOU!" bellowed Serena, grabbing a startled May by the shoulders. "YOU PICKED THOSE TESTS. BECAUSE OF YOU, I NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK, THINKING I WAS PREGNANT WITH ASH'S BABY!"

"Ash's baby?" asked May, an eyebrow raised. "You mean Red's?"

Serena let go of May's shoulders, looking at Ash out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were wide.

"Yeah," said Serena, calming down. "I meant Red's."

"Well I'm sorry for picking out the fake tests. But we still might be pregnant. We have to get real tests to find out." reasoned May. "We have to go back to the supermarket. Again."

"Fine... but this time, _I'm _picking out the tests..." grumbled Serena, starting the car.

* * *

After they had all arrived at the supermarket, Serena and May went straight to the aisle where the pregnancy tests were. Deciding not to follow them, Ash and Red decided to go to different aisles. While Ash kept himself occupied with the Electronics aisle, Red browsed through the Sporting Goods aisle. He picked up a soccer ball, tossing it up and down in his hands. He had been relatively low-key all day, not really inserting his opinion into any conversations. Ash had done all the communicating, while he just sat around in the background, following Ash around. But now he was alone. Just him and his thoughts.

Was Serena pregnant? He doubted it. He hadn't had sex with her in about a month, so if she were pregnant, then she definitely would have known sooner. But, of course, that raised a question in his mind. He was sure Serena was smarter than him, so why couldn't she piece together what he just did? She should have been able to realize that she most likely wasn't pregnant... yet she was so terrified that she might be.

The gears in Red's head began to turn.

Was Serena just experiencing irrational fear, or was there something else going on, something she was keeping a secret? The only way that her fear would be reasonable was if she had cheated on him with another guy recently. Then, there'd be a problem. Just the thought of Serena having sex with another guy made Red growl. Serena was his girlfriend, and he treated her like a princess 24/7. If she had cheated on him, not only would he have felt betrayed... he would have been hurt, a hurt so deep that he'd probably never date a girl again.

But he was probably just imagining things.

Serena would never cheat on him, he thought. She was the greatest girlfriend he'd ever had, and their relationship had lasted longer than all of his past ones combined. She was good to him, and as far as he knew, she loved him just as much as he loved her.

Red sighed and walked back to the rack that the soccer balls were on, planning on returning the one he was holding. But much to his surprise, he was no longer holding an inflated soccer ball. It seemed that during his thought session, he had gotten so emotional that he popped the ball.

Red looked around to see if anybody saw. No one did. He quickly shoved the destroyed ball into the back of a shelf and walked away, pretending nothing had ever happened.

Red walked back to the front of the store, and saw May, Ash, and Serena in the front, talking. They saw him too, and Serena gestured for him to come over. Red did just that, and stood next to Ash, waiting to hear the results of Serena and May's tests.

"Okay, good news. We're not pregnant." said Serena with relief, hugging Red. "I guess May and I are just sick."

"But... there's some bad news." said May, a smile on her face. Ash raised an eyebrow. When someone had bad news, they usually didn't smile.

"What's the bad news?" asked Ash.

"This whole pregnancy scare thing really scared May and I." answered Serena, removing herself from Red. "So... we decided that you guys need to take some more... responsibility."

"I get it." answered Ash. "I know what you mean... I was just telling the same thing to Red earlier. We can't just continue to errr... ummm... how should I put this? We can't just continue to-"

"Have sex with each other without any means of protection besides the pill?" finished May, a little louder than necessary.

Red, Ash, and Serena looked around, hoping to dear Arceus that no one had heard May's words. Unfortunately, lots of people heard, and almost all of them were giving Ash, Red, Serena, and May angry, annoyed looks. The store manager was one of those people, and he looked the least happy of them all. He walked up to the four, his fists clenched and his face red.

"Hi, my name's Hank." he said through gritted teeth. "I'm the manager of this establishment."

"Umm... heheh, hey there... Hank." said Serena nervously.

"This is a family place. I can't let you little... you little hooligans spew out such language out in the open like that. Please, do us all a favor and get out of my store before I force you out."

None of them needed to be told twice. They all dashed out of the store, absolutely terrified by Hank. After they had exited the store, everyone took a second to glare at May, who seemed rather uncomfortable.

"Guys... stop staring at me..." she whimpered. "It's not my fault..."

"Yes it is..." sighed Ash, walking up to May. "But it's okay, because I still love you."

"Aww Ashyyyy..." sang May, planting a kiss on Ash's lips.

The two kissed for a couple seconds, but were interrupted when Serena cleared her throat.

"You _do_ know that May vomited a couple hours ago, right?" asked Serena, an evil smirk on her face.

Less than a second after Serena said that, Ash pulled away from the kiss, screaming in absolute terror. Serena and Red cracked up, both of them almost falling to the ground in laughter. May didn't find it very funny at all, but she couldn't deny what Serena had said. She had to watch as Ash freaked out, almost crying in disgust. Suddenly, Ash dashed away, running back towards the store. He was so flustered that his words were barely even understandable, but May was pretty sure she heard him say something about buying some mouth wash for her.

"Ashy, come back! I love youuuuuuuuuuu!" called May as she ran after him, leaving Red and Serena alone, both of them still laughing hysterically.

But then Serena, still a little sick, vomited too. Red's laughing immediately ended, and he, just like Ash, ran away. After she had finished throwing up, Serena ran after Red, apologizing repeatedly.

And they all lived happily ever after.

* * *

**The end! I had lots of fun writing this one, mostly because of all the humor and gross stuff.  
**

**Hint for next one-shot:  
**

"It's crazy to think that such a good game came from a couple of teenagers in a Computer Club..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I could play this game for hours... what's it called again?"

"Pokemon Blue, I think."

**Okay, that's all folks.**

**~DarkSlash9**


	16. Games

**Hey. I'm sorry for the long absence regarding this story... I'm not really in a good mood, so I'll keep the Author's Notes short.  
**

**Q&amp;A**

ADVANCESHIPPER67

Will May and Serena ever get pregnant in this story?

**Answer: Nope.**

Guest

Are may and red ever going to figure out what happened between their siblings? It seems serena is bad with secrets...

**Answer: No, it'll stay a deep dark secret for eternity.**

SaintMichael95

I liked it. But are we ever going to find out just why Serena was so hell bent on screwing Ash when she was drunk? I mean Ash asked the question but we never got her answer. I think we'd all like to know... Please?

**Answer: It was just the Amourshipper in me coming to the surface... Serena loves Red and only Red.**

SteakBoy76

Will Red and May have sex too?

**Answer: Nope.**

**Alright, here's one-shot number five... enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: [insert clever/goofy disclaimer here]**

* * *

**One-shot 5  
**

Games

* * *

_Two males walked down the hallway, one a grown man, the other a young teen, no older than 14. The grown man was leading the way, the young one following behind, his body tingling in anticipation. He had been begging Pallet Town High's school board for a whole semester for this moment, and he couldn't have been happier. The school had finally let him start a Computer Club.  
_

_"Alright Albert, the first door on the right is the computer lab." said the man, turning to the student. "Albert's your name, right?"  
_

_ The student grinned, revealing teeth covered in braces. "No sir, my name's Ash." _

_"Ash, Albert, same thing. Now before I let you in, I gotta lay some ground rules. Keep the computers clean. No food or drinks allowed in there. And make sure not to infect the computers with any viruses or malware; I know how you kids are... you always download the viruses..."_

_"Don't worry, I'll keep the computers in top condition." promised Ash, adjusting his glasses.  
_

_"You'd better..." said the man as he walked away, leaving Ash alone with the computer lab.  
_

_As soon as the man was out of sight, Ash jumped into the air, raising his fists in triumph. He walked around, examining all the computers. They were all decent, all of them worthy of use. After he had examined what he was given, he grabbed a chair and sat down, waiting for people to come. He was sure someone would come, there was no way he was the only person in the school who liked computers. When he envisioned his Computer Club, he imagined about 10 or 20 people in the lab. The thought of that made him smile, and it only got him more excited.  
_

_So he waited for people to come. After 10 minutes of waiting, his excitement was still high. After 20 minutes, he calmed down a bit. After 30 minutes, he wondered where everybody was. After 40, he frowned. After 50, he began to think that maybe the Computer Club was a stupid idea after all. And after an hour of waiting, he decided to just go home. Miserable, Ash picked up his belongings and turned off all the computers. Once everything was how he had found it, he walked towards the door. He opened it, and much to his surprise, there were three people there. One had green hair, green eyes, and wore very dressy clothing. The next one had blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses with gigantic, circular lenses that shone brightly. The final one looked like an average guy, black hair and black eyes. Ash stared at the three guys, and they all stared back.  
_

_"Um, can I help you?" asked Ash, adjusting his glasses._

_"We're here for the Computer Club." said the average looking guy. "I'm Tracey, this guy over here is Cilan, and that's Clemont."_

_Instead of smiling and welcoming them with open arms, Ash frowned._

_"What took you guys so long? The club started an hour ago." said Ash blandly._

_"We've been waiting here for the past 45 minutes." answered Cilan. "The door was locked, so we couldn't get in."_

_"You guys couldn't just knock?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow. The three looked at each other, realizing that knocking on the door was what they should have done. Ash rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess there's no point in wasting any more time. Come on in..."_

_The three followed Ash into the empty computer lab. Everyone sat at a computer, waiting for Ash to say something. Ash didn't say anything. He simply stared at them analytically, as if they were data and not human beings. _

"So... this is my Computer Club..." _thought Ash. _"Well, beggars can't be choosers..."

_"Alright, welcome to the Computer Club." said Ash, standing up from his chair. "My name's Ash Ketchum. Your names are Tracey, Cilan, and Clemont, right?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Yes."_

_"Yep."_

_"Okay, I've got your names down..." mumbled Ash. "Next question. What are your favorite things to do on computers?"_

_"Gaming." said all three of them._

_Ash smiled. "Anything else besides gaming?"  
_

_"Yeah, I like doing artistic stuff too. I'm really good with MS Paint and Photoshop." answered Tracey._

_"I digitally compose music on my free time." added Cilan._

_"I code things." said Clemont._

_"Code?" asked Ash, his interest piqued. "What languages can you code?" _

_Clemont pondered for a second, counting how many languages he knew on his fingers. Finally, when he had thought off all of them , he looked at Ash._

_"A++, C++, Java, Javascript, Action, Actionscript... and I know a little Assembly. What about you?"  
_

_"A++, C++, Java, Javascript, Action, Actionscript, Assembly, High Level Assembly, and J-Sharp." answered Ash, a hint of pride in his voice.  
_

_"Oh wow..." said Clemont, taken aback by all the code languages Ash knew. "You could make some really complex programs if you know all those codes..."  
_

_"Exactly." said Ash. Tracey, Clemont, and Cilan all tilted their heads, not knowing what Ash meant. Noticing their confusion, Ash decided to explain. "Okay guys, it seems like you're going to be the only members of Computer Club, since no one else came. I originally planned for this to be a club where people that love computers could just hang out and talk about computer stuff. But after hearing what your hobbies and interests are... I've changed my mind a little."_

_"Changed your mind?" asked Cilan._

_"Yeah." said Ash, a smile on his face. "What if instead of chilling here, talking about computers... we worked on a project?"  
_

_"What kind of project?" asked Tracey._

_"One that would require Cilan's digital music, Tracey's artistic ability, and Clemont &amp; I's coding skills..." said Ash, walking up to the front of the lab. In the front of the room was a white board. Ash picked a marker off the shelf and uncapped it. "Any ideas?"_

_"Is it even a question?" asked Clemont excitedly. "We should make a game!"_

_Ash grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."_

_"That's a great idea! We could make a game! Then when its finished someday, we could send it to a game company! Then if they accept it, we'd be swimming in cash!" exclaimed Tracey, standing up. _

_While Ash, Clemont, and Tracey seemed to be completely for the idea, Cilan sat there with a troubled look on his face._

_"Guys," said Cilan, catching everyone's attention. "Don't you think we're a little in over our heads? The recipe for a game calls for lots of time, effort, dedication, and patience. Are you sure this is a task we can handle?"_

_"Don't worry about it." said Ash, waving Cilan's concerns off. "I've only known you guys for a few minutes, but I think we'll be able to do it. It may take a long time, but we can totally do it."_

_"If you say so..." said Cilan. "Then again, the amount of time required to make the game would probably depend on the genre and plot of said game. What's this game going to be about?"_

_"Oh don't worry about that. I've already got the perfect plot in mind..." said Ash, turning to the white board._

_Clemont, Tracey, and Cilan watched as Ash wrote the word "POKEMON" across the board._

* * *

"And that's how Pokemon Red and Blue came to be." said Ash, finishing his story. "Well, that was more of a simplified version. Things didn't start off _that _smoothly..."

"AWWWWWW! I remember when you had glasses and braces! You were so adooooooorable!" squealed May, hugging Ash tightly.

"From the whole story... that's all you got?" asked Ash.

"No, I heard the whole thing. It's pretty cool to think that you guys were actually able to make the whole game. That story took place what, 5 years ago?"

"Yeah... I just can't believe that the day Tracey was talking about is finally here. Silph Co. wants to discuss the game with us... it just seems so surreal."

"I know what ya mean, but you gotta let it sink in eventually. We don't want you to pee your pants at the meeting!"

"..."

Like Ash had said, Silph Co., a popular gaming company, had requested to meet with Ash and his Computer Club. Ash, Clemont, Cilan, and Tracey had spent years working on the game, trying to make it the best that it could have been, and even though all the members of the club ended up going to different colleges, they kept the dream alive through emails, video-chats, and group-chats.

They had finished Pokemon Blue in their Junior Year, but after playing the game himself, Ash decided that it needed a counterpart, a counterpart that had the things Pokemon Blue didn't have. And so, production on Pokemon: Red Version began. Pokemon Red had everything Pokemon Blue didn't have pokemon-wise. Pokemon that couldn't fit in Pokemon Blue were put in Pokemon Red. But by the time the members of Ash's Computer Club had all graduated from high school, Pokemon Red was only about 70% done. The last 30% was probably the hardest portion to make, since they all had to work alone, emailing their progress to each other. But they had gotten the job done, and as soon as both games were tested by May (who was more than happy to do so), they had sent the games to all the companies they could think of. Most companies hadn't answered, and the ones that did answer sent rejection letters.

Ash was ecstatic when Silph Co. emailed him. He immediately called all the members of his Computer Club, telling them the good news. They had celebrated, and once everyone had calmed down, Ash told them the dates and everything. Even though the date was a solid 3 months away, Ash still had trouble sleeping that night, his mind bouncing around in excitement. But with May's help, he was able to fall asleep eventually.

Finally, after 3 long months, the day had come. Ash had gotten a good night's sleep, knowing the day was going to be a busy one. He woke up at the crack of dawn and immediately got into the shower. After getting himself ready, he said goodbye to Red and headed for May and Serena's dorm. May was coming along for the trip, but not only because she was his girlfriend; Ash considered her part of the team. She tested the games for any glitches or bugs, making her just as useful as anyone else.

After Ash had picked May up, the two drove to the port and got on the ferry that would take them from Cinnabar Island to Pallet Town. The ride would take about an hour, and since the weather was nice, Ash and May decided to stay on the deck. They were both by the rail, looking at the vast sea ahead of them. After talking for the whole hour, an announcement was heard on the intercom. It was the Captain's voice.

"All passengers with vehicles on the ferry are to return to said vehicles. We will be reaching Pallet Town in 5 minutes. Thank you for choosing The Cinnabar Island Ferry Company, and have a nice day."

"Well, I guess we should head back to the car." said Ash, stretching.

"It's always fun coming back to Pallet Town!" beamed May. "I love visiting!"

"May, as terrible as this sounds, we'll probably only be able to visit our families and no one else." said Ash, scratching his head. "We're on a tight schedule. We only have about half an hour to say hello to everyone and then we have to make our way to Saffron City."

"Half an hour is more than enough time!" said May, grabbing Ash's hand. "Come on, let's get to the car!"

"Okay, okay..." mumbled Ash, following May. "Just let me call my mom so she knows we're almost there."

* * *

"I have good news, boys!" sang Delia, entering the living room.

Sitting in the living room, all of them dressed in formal attire, was Ash's Computer Club. They had all arrived in Pallet Town that morning, and they had agreed on Ash's house as their meeting point. Their hairs were combed, and their shoes polished. They looked like young businessmen, all of them, and Delia thought it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

"Oh I just can't get over it, you all look so professional! Well, except for you Cilan, you're always wearing something nice."

Cilan nodded in thanks, but then cleared his throat.

"Thanks for the compliment, Mrs. Ketchum. But I do recall you saying you have good news?"

"Yes, I do. Thanks for reminding me. Ash and May are about to get off the ferry now. They'll be here in 5 or 10 minutes!" gushed Delia.

Cilan, Clemont, and Tracey all smiled, excited to see Ash again. They'd seen his face on video chats, but they hadn't actually been in the same room as him since graduation, and that was a long time ago.

"I wonder if they're still a couple..." thought Clemont aloud.

"Of course they are!" snapped Delia, taking personal offense from Clemont's statement. "They're still _very_ much in love! The same with Red and Serena! I didn't know I raised my boys to be such gentlemen, but apparently I did, because whenever Serena and May call, they always talk about how good Ash and Red are to them! They still go on dates, watch movies, play games, and everything! Though whenever I ask them if they've done anything past kissing, they change the subject... but that's none of my business. Point is, they're still a couple, and they're going to stay that way."

By the end of the speech, Clemont was trembling in fear. "I-I'm sorry, it was just a thought..."

"It was a stupid thought." joked Tracey. "Mrs. Ketchum, do you have any coffee?"

"Yes, would you like me to make you some?" asked Delia, who seemed to have calmed down.

"Oh don't bother yourself," said Tracey, winking. "I'll make it."

Tracey then stood up and walked to the kitchen, a suave smile on his face. He made sure to make some eye contact with Delia before he left. Clemont and Cilan watched, trying to hold in their laughter. Delia simply stared at Tracey, looking more confused than anything. As soon as Tracey was out of the room, Delia turned to Cilan and Clemont.

"What a weird kid." she stated. "Is he always that odd?"

At that, Cilan and Clemont lost all composure they were trying to keep. They burst into laughter, almost falling off their chairs. Delia watched as they both were gasping for air, finding what she said to be one of the funniest things they'd ever heard. She tried to think of why they were laughing, but in the end, she didn't understand. Stumped, she walked away.

_"Kids these days are weird... __I think I'll just wait upstairs for Ash to get here." _Suddenly, a knock was heard on the front door. _"He's here!"_

Delia rushed to the door, wasting no time. She opened it, and as expected, Ash and May were there. They were both smiling. Delia pulled them both into a big hug, the same thing she did whenever Ash or Red visited from college. Ash expected it, but May was completely new to it.

"H-hello Mrs. Ketchum!" giggled May, enjoying the hug.

"How many times do I have to tell you and your sister? Just call me Delia." answered Delia, ending the hug. As soon as she was no longer attached to Ash and May, Delia took the chance to look at both of them from top to bottom. She nodded in approval. "Oh Ash, either you have good taste in women or amazing luck, because you've got quite the lady by your side."

Now normally, Ash would have been flustered, blushing, and stuttering, but this wasn't a normal occasion. There was no time for his awkward antics. He did blush, but that was all he did.

"Um, thanks Mom." said Ash with a small smile. "Can we come inside? May and I still need to change into our formal clothes and pick up the rest of the team."

"No you don't!" yelled Tracey, appearing from behind a very disturbed Delia. "We're all here already!"

"No way!" said Ash, shaking his head. "Tracey, is that you?! And here I was thinking that _I've _gotten tall! Dude, you must be like, 6 and a half feet tall!"

"6 feet and 8 inches actually!" corrected Tracey. "Come on, Clemont and Cilan are inside too!"

"Really?! That puts us _way_ ahead of schedule!" cheered Ash, running inside. "Hey guys!"

In all his excitement, Ash had completely forgotten about May and his mother. The two remained on the doorstep, smiling.

"Ash hasn't changed a bit..." sighed Delia happily.

"I wouldn't like him any other way." commented May, turning to Delia. "I guess I should go change my clothes?"

Delia nodded. "I got the outfit you asked for. It's in Ash and Red's room, follow me."

* * *

While Delia led May up the stairs, Ash sat in the living room, catching up with his club members. But as soon as Delia was out of the room, the mood drastically changed. Tracey shushed everyone, trying to focus all attention on himself. Once they were all quiet, Tracey looked at Ash.

"Ash, can I ask you something?"

"Sure...?" answered Ash, a little confused.

"Do you think your mom is pretty?" asked Tracey.

Ash stared at Tracey for a second, trying to see if he was joking or not. It didn't look like he was.

"I don't know. She's my mom, I don't spend my time thinking about that." answered Ash truthfully. "And if I did, it'd be pretty creepy."

"Well let me just tell you something." said Tracey, standing up. "Your mom is one of the hottest women I've ever seen. I don't use this term very often, but there's no other way to describe her: she's a MILF."

Cilan and Clemont once again burst into laughter, while Ash stared at Tracey.

"E-excuse me?" asked Ash, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Your mom is beautiful." sad Tracey. "Could you um... could you hook me up with her by any chance? Maybe a date or something?"

"Dude, she's 20 years older than us!" said Ash, the disgust clear in his voice. "I'd never set you up with my _mom. _That's just wrong on _so_ many levels!"

"Alright, fine..." muttered Tracey. "Sorry for admiring your mother's beauty..."

"Just stop talking about it..." groaned Ash, closing his eyes. "Let's talk about something el-"

"Ash! Come up here and change into your suit!" called May from upstairs.

"I'm coming!" called Ash, standing up. He turned to his friends and shrugged. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay away from my mom, Tracey."

With Tracey warned, Ash headed up the stairs. Without a second thought, he entered his room, and of course May was waiting there for him. She was wearing a tight, black knee-length dress and a red blazer with black buttons. Her hair was brushed, and her make-up was done perfectly. She carried a glossy black purse, which matched with her glossy black high heels. Ash could barely keep the drool from dripping from his mouth, because she looked stunning. May rolled her eyes, but was flattered nonetheless.

"Come on Ashy, you can stare at my awesomeness some other time." said May, walking to Ash. She grabbed his hand and led him to the closet. "You've gotta quickly get dressed so we have enough time to visit my parents!"

"U-uhm, yeah." stuttered Ash, snapping out of his trance. He looked at May, who sat on his bed, watching him. He tilted his head. "You're not going to leave the room?"

May shook her head. "At this point in our relationship? We've seen eachother naked lots of times. And you're not even getting naked, you're just changing clothes."

"This is true." said Ash, taking his shirt off.

After taking off all his casual clothes, leaving him in nothing but a pair of Charizard themed boxers, Ash opened the closet, revealing his suit. The jacket and pants were dark gray with navy blue pinstripes, while the shirt underneath was navy blue. On the floor was a pair of shiny new shoes. Ash nearly had a heart attack from the beauty of the outfit. He quickly put it on, making sure to button every button and fold every collar. He looked himself in the mirror, gave himself a thumbs up, and turned to May, a big grin on his face.

"Lookin' good, right?" he asked proudly.

"No," said May, standing up, grabbing a comb. She grinned. "Not lookin' good. You didn't comb your hair, silly!"

"You know that's a lost cause... my hair has a mind of its own." reasoned Ash. "No matter how much you try, it'll always be a mess."

"We'll see about that!"

_6 minutes later..._

May threw the comb across the room, giving up.

"I told you." said Ash, his hair still in it's normal fashion. "Don't worry, my hair won't be that much of an issue. Let's go."

"Wait!" called May. "You forgot this!"

Ash turned around, and saw a silver tie in May's hands. He looked down, and realized that even though his dark gray and navy blue suit looked great, the silver tie in May's hands would make the outfit perfect. May tossed Ash the tie, and he caught it. But as soon as it was in his hands, Ash stared at it helplessly. He then looked at May and half-laughed awkwardly.

"You don't know how to tie a tie, do you?" asked May.

"Heheh, no, not at all." said Ash, looking down in shame.

"Don't worry, I know how..." said May sweetly, taking the tie from Ash. "I know lots of things..."

With a rare amount of gracefulness, May wrapped the tie around Ash's neck, making sure not to hurt him. Her fingers moving both swiftly and skillfully, the tie was almost tied around Ash's neck in minutes. All she had to do was pull a little, and then she'd be done.

"You know... you look really nice in this suit." she complimented, finishing the knot. Even though she was done tying the tie, she still had a grip on it. "I've really got a great man on my hands, eh?"

"You know what they say," said Ash, smoothly placing his hands on May's waist. "Behind every great man there's a great woman."

"Hmmm..." hummed May, using Ash's tie to pull his face closer to hers. "Not only is he handsome, but he's got a way with words too..."

"I try." replied Ash suavely.

The two's lips met, and the kissing began. May kicked her high heels off and fell back onto the bed, ready for action. Ash wasted no time in climbing over her like a hunting beast, continuing the kissing. Neither of them were surprised at how fast things had gone from casual to romantic, because it happened pretty often. Small things like tying a tie usually led to them making out, and sometimes more. For some reason, they had completely forgotten about what day it was, and why they were in Pallet Town. They were completely absorbed in each other, and it didn't feel like they would stop any time soon.

But right when things were heating up, Delia entered the room with a shiny black watch for Ash to wear. As soon as the door opened, Ash and May stopped everything and looked towards the door, their eyes wide. Delia looked right back.

"...Oh my." she said quietly. "Did I interrupt something?"

"N-no." said Ash, getting off the bed. "May was just helping me tie my tie... heheh right, May?"

"Uhuh..." answered May, her cheeks pink.

"Whatever you say..." said Delia with a knowing smirk. "Here Ash, put this on. I thought this watch would complete your outfit."

Ash examined the watch, and sure enough, it was quite the watch. Shiny, fancy... _shiny. _Ash quickly put it on, immediately falling in love with the timepiece. He turned to Delia, an excited grin on his face.

"Thanks mom!" said Ash as he went in for a hug. But before he could hug his mother, she stopped him.

"No time for hugs now," said Delia. "It's almost time for you to leave. And I think May told me something about you going to her house before you go to Silph Co. You should leave now."

Ash looked down at his watch, and his eyes widened. They were 2 minutes behind schedule.

...

"EVERYONE OUT OF THE HOUSE RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" roared Ash, running down the stairs at lightning speed. Clemont, Tracey, and Cilan all looked at Ash, fearing that he had lost his sanity. Noticing their faces, Ash decided to explain a bit. "WE'RE RUNNING LATE, AND WE STILL HAVE TO GO TO MAY'S HOUSE!"

"Ash, calm down. It's not that big of a deal." said Clemont, gathering his things.

"IT'S A PRETTY BIG DEAL! EVERYONE! OUT OF THE HOUSE AND INTO MY CAR!" shouted Ash, running outside.

Everyone looked at each other, none of them able to understand Ash's state of panic. They all shrugged and followed him out the door, their journey about to begin. Delia watched them all go, and made sure to ignore the wink that was sent her way by Tracey. Ash got into his car, and May got into the passenger seat. Clemont, Cilan, and Tracey sat in the back seat, the first two forcing Tracey to sit in the middle. Ash quickly started the car and sped off, leaving a small cloud of dust.

Delia watched until the car was out of sight, smiling.

"I'm so proud of you..." she whispered, entering the house.

* * *

Luckily, Ash's state of panic did not last. He calmed down real quickly when he and May visited Mr. and Mrs. Maple. At first things were fine, though Ash seemed to be a little impatient the whole time. But though his patience was running thin, he made sure to stay polite and smile. What forcefully calmed his nerves was his encounter with Norman. May was busy speaking to Caroline in a different room, leaving Ash alone with her father.

As Ash drove on the road that led to Saffron City, he recalled the encounter, and couldn't help but shiver a bit.

_Earlier..._

_"So Ash, you're treating my daughter well, right?" asked Norman, arms crossed. He peered into Ash's eyes like a Hawlucha about to kill its prey. Needless to say, the look worked; Ash was on the verge of peeing his pants.  
_

_"Of course, Mr. Maple." squeaked Ash. "I'd never do anything bad to her."_

_"Well that's where my issue lies... your definition of bad could be very different from mine." said Norman._

_Ash gulped. He knew exactly what Norman meant, but he thought that playing dumb was the best option.  
_

_"W-what do you mean, Mr. Maple?"_

_"You and your brother are having sex with my daughters, aren't you?" asked Norman in more of a statement than a question._

_"N-no nooo no... W-w-we're not! We'd never!" lied Ash, his hands waving around frantically._

_"Why not?" asked Norman, taking a step towards Ash. "Are they not good enough for you guys? Huh, is that it? Are you calling my girls ugly?!"_

_"N-no sir, they're totally good enoug-"_

_"So you **have **been having sex with them!" growled Norman, having Ash nearly backed to a wall. "You no-good little thug!"  
_

_At this point, As was stuck between confessing and lying. His brain was literally split 50/50, causing it to temporarily fall into a state of chaos and fearful anarchy. "a- no , I just- we, no, I, please- I'm scared- don't hurt me, no, mercy please please no- it's not lik- no I- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_

_Suddenly Norman burst into laughter, patting Ash on the shoulder. Ash, trembling, looked at Norman, his eyes wide and his mouth opened ever so slightly._

_"Oh I'm just kidding with you Ash!" laughed Norman. "I know that you guys are young and in love, Caroline and I were no different at your age. College especially... that's where the magic happens. You and your brother just be careful alright? Caroline and I aren't old enough for grandchildren yet. I know my parents weren't... But enough of that, you should have seen your face! You looked like you were about to cry! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"_

_Norman walked away, wiping the tears of laughter off his face. Ash did not laugh. He simply stared at the wall, trying to comprehend what had just happened._

_..._

Ash stared ahead at the road, the experience causing a wave of silence to fall over him. But he wasn't the only silent one. All of them were quiet. They were all talkative and full of energy in the beginning, but the closer they got to Saffron City, the less they spoke. Nervousness began to creep into all their minds, and by the time they reached the 'Welcome to Saffron City!' sign, all of them were feeling nauseous.

"Here we are..." mumbled Ash, breaking the nearly half-hour long silence. "Saffron City."

"Oh... awesome." said May, nervously twiddling with her thumbs. Her usual bubbly nature was not present. "Which building is Silph Co.?"

"I believe it would be that abnormally tall building over there." answered Cilan, pointing to his left. "Its height surely adds a hint of intimidation to the mixture..."

"I'll say..." said Tracey, adjusting his tie. "I'm getting nervous just looking at it."

Instead of adding his own words into the nervous conversation, Clemont shakily reached into his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. The tension was causing his asthma to act up.

"Guys... I know you're nervous... but..." said Ash, trying his best to sound brave and indifferent. He was the leader of the team; when everyone else was feeling afraid, he was supposed to be the one to fill them with confidence. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and with all the will he could muster, he managed to curve his lips in a reassuring grin. "We didn't work our asses off for the past 5 years to come here and pee our pants, did we?"

A collective mumble of 'no's were heard from the passengers in the car, none of them sounding very energized. Realizing that just one sentence wasn't going to be enough to shake the fear out of them, Ash went on.

"That's right, we didn't." continued Ash. "5 years. 5 whole years were spent making these games. It took us, a couple kids with computers, 5 years to create a game good enough to pique the interest of Silph Co., the 3rd best game manufacturing company in the world. We've worked hard. We've spent so many hours hunched over our computers, trying to reach the deadlines we set for ourselves..."

Ash glanced at May for a split second, recalling the sleepless nights he spent trying to complete Pokemon Blue before Christmas so he could give it to her. May noticed the glance and smiled. Ash smiled back, and continued on with his speech.

"Today, we'll walk out of that building - contract or no contract - knowing that we've done something great. It's not easy to make a whole game, and nobody knows that better than us. Even if they choose not to accept the game, who cares? There's tons of other companies that we haven't heard from yet, tons of companies that are still deciding. And even if all those companies reject us... then the next thing on our list would be to just make the games better. Yeah, I know, it'll be tough to continue working when we're all separated in different colleges and living our own lives. But I know that if it comes down to it, all of us have the drive within us to persevere and finish what we started on the day we formed this club. So when we get out of this car... we walk towards that building with our heads held high. And you'd best believe we'll look the exact same way when we walk out. Got it?"

"Yeah..." said everyone, their voices returning to their normal volume. They seemed to be back to normal, but that wasn't enough for Ash.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" asked Ash.

"Yeah!" exclaimed everyone, the burning fire of determination building inside them.

"Glad to hear it," said Ash, turning the car off. "because we're here."

Everyone, except Ash, looked out the windows. Like he had said, they were indeed in the front parking lot of Silph Co., the massive building they saw earlier just a few feet away.

"It looks even more gargantuan up close." observed Clemont, adjusting his glasses. "It's almost as tall as the Prism Tower of Lumiose City in the Kalos Region."

"Our meeting is being held on the 11th floor." said Ash, opening his car door. "Let's go."

Ash stepped out of the car, and so did everyone else. They all looked at the building, and then at Ash. Ash nodded, and began to walk towards it. Everyone else followed him in, Ash's confidence almost rubbing off on them.

* * *

"It's crazy to think that such a good game came from a couple of teenagers in a Computer Club..." said one man in a blue suit, playing on a Gameboy.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I could play this game for hours... what's it called again?" asked another guy. He had an expensive pair of sunglasses on.

"Pokemon Blue, I think." answered a woman. She had long, gray hair.

"I don't like it." said a guy with a cigar in his mouth, slamming his fist on the table. "If we start selling a game that perfectly simulates a pokemon journey, the league will be up our asses in no time flat."

"How so?" asked the guy with the sunglasses.

"Think about it." said the guy with the cigar. "If this game were to get popular, more and more people will just end up playing this game instead of going on actual pokemon journeys, which would definitely end up with the league getting hit hard with a drastic decrease in profit. We'd be making enemies with one of the most powerful companies in the world. There's no way that'd be a good thing."

"But what about all the money a game like this could bring in?" asked the guy in the blue suit. "The possibilities are endless."

"I'm gonna have to agree with David on this one." said the woman. "A game like this could make lots of enemies..."

"Well I think we should go for it." said the guy in the sunglasses.

"Me too." said the man in the blue suit. "This is one of the best games I've eve-"

Just then, the door opened, and a young secretary walked in. Everyone looked at her, waiting for her to speak. She adjusted her circular glasses and cleared her throat. "The creators of Pokemon Red and Blue are here."

"Oh good, send them up." said the guy in the sunglasses.

Within minutes, Ash and his computer club entered the room. The way the room was set up, the four adults were sitting on one side of a long table, and Ash and everyone else were to sit on the other side. But of course, they weren't going to sit until asked to. They waited, awkwardly staring at the four people in front of them.

"Now which one of you is Ash Ketchum?" asked the guy in the sunglasses.

"I'm Ash Ketchum... sir." said Ash, stepping forward.

"Nice to meet ya Ash, I'm Charles." said the guy with the sunglasses. He reached his hand out for Ash to shake, and Ash did just that. After the exchange, Ash remained standing. Charles grinned. "You can sit down, y'know."

Ash quickly sat down in the nearest chair, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"All of you can sit down." said David, the man with the cigar. May, Tracey, Cilan, and Clemont quickly shuffled into seats, making sure not to trip over their own feet. Once they were all settled, David continued. "I'm David, you've already met Charles, the guy next to me in the blue suit is Frank, and this lady over here is Teresa. We're the executives of Silph Co.'s gaming branch. We decide which games Silph Co. publishes, and which games it doesn't. Now I'm sure you're dying to hear our thoughts on the game, so I won't keep you waiting. I don't like it."

A ripple of cold fear spread through Ash's body, his eyes widening.

"But I'm not the only one who's opinion matters, so don't start cryin' just yet." said David, pulling his cigar out of his mouth. "This meeting is going to be quick. The format is simple; you talk about your game, tell us why we should accept it, and then we decide if we want it. You have 5 minutes."

May tilted her head. "Starting now?"

"Yeah. You have 4 minutes and 56 seconds left." said David, staring at his watch.

Everyone immediately turned to Ash, waiting for him to start talking. Though he didn't expect to have to give a speech, he was more then prepared for it. He took a deep breath, and stood up.

"4 minutes, 45 seconds." said David.

"There are a multitude of reasons why Pokemon Red and Blue are both great and highly profitable games. But we already know why they're great; they offer a realistic and accurate pokemon adventure from the comfort of your own home. What we really need to go into... is how much money games like these would bring in." said Ash, walking over to a whiteboard on the side of the room. Before writing on it, he turned to the executives. "Can I?"

"Go ahead." said Frank.

"4 minutes, 15 seconds." warned David.

Ash turned to the board and began to draw. As he drew, he spoke. "Now, it's no secret that nearly 90% of children ages 5-10 dream of going on a pokemon journey some day. But as we all know, 90% of them never end up going on one. Why? Simple; because they're expensive, potentially dangerous, and time consuming. In the end, their dreams are crushed by their logically-thinking parents."

Ash backed away from the board, revealing his drawing. May desperately tried to hold in her laughter. She had forgotten how terrible Ash was at drawing. She looked at the executives, hoping they could decipher the puzzle Ash had unintentionally created. But judging from their faces, they couldn't.

"Um... Mr. Ketchum, what exactly _is _that?" asked Teresa.

"It looks like a Gyarados battling a Rayquaza." observed Charles.

"Charles, are you blind? It's clearly Ho-oh summoning Suicune, Entei, and Raikou." corrected Frank.

Ash frowned. "No... it's just two parents saying 'no' to their child, while the kid cries."

A chorus of 'ohhhhhhh's were heard. Ashamed of his terrible drawing skills, Ash erased the drawing. Since illustrating examples was clearly not going to work, he decided to go on with the rest of his speech by words alone.

"Anyway, if a child can't get one thing, they'll end up trying to get the next best thing. In this case, that thing would be Pokemon Red and Blue. The game would be an instant hit, as nothing like it has ever been seen before. To get their kids to stop complaining, parents will definitely want to buy it as well. Once the kids get one version, they'll play through it, and once they're finished, they'll feel lost and with nowhere to go. And that's when the other version comes in. Let's say a kid had a blast playing through Pokemon Blue. Well, they can do it all over again with Pokemon Red, since there are a few differences between the two."

"And what do you plan to do when kids have played both games?" asked Teresa.

"There's either two routes we could take in that scenario." said Ash. "Either we don't make any more games and leave it all on a high note... Or we take advantage of the popularity and make more games."

"What would be in these newer games?" asked Charles, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Since we've done all we can with Kanto, I guess the best thing to do would be to create games based on the pokemon of other regions."

"You have 1 and a half minutes left." said David. "So before time runs out, let me ask you a question. Do you think this game has the potential to turn the Pokemon League against us? Surely a game like this would impact how much money they bring in."

"Not necessarily." answered Ash. "As accurate as these games are, they could never replace the real feeling of being on a pokemon journey. These games are for people that are unable to go on a journey, not people who can. If someone has the time and money, it'd be foolish for them to choose a video game over a real-life experience. If the league gets angry at Silph Co., you could just tell them that and I guarantee they'd back off. And besides, you can't let fear of the league cloud your judgement. Even if they do become your rivals in business, what exactly can they do to affect the sales of Silph Co.?"

"15 seconds left. Any last words?" asked David.

"No... that's all I've got." said Ash, sitting down.

May, Clemont, Tracey, and Cilan all looked at Ash in wonder, nothing but admiration in their eyes. If any of them had been in Ash's place during that speech, it wouldn't have gone as smoothly as it did. Though it was clear he was a little nervous, he had been able to control it and deliver all the facts. At first five minutes didn't seem like enough, but much to their relief, Ash had been able to get the job done with a few seconds to spare.

"Well, let's get straight to it." said David, looking at his fellow executives. "We'll all vote on whether we take the game or not. Majority wins."

"Okay, I'll start then. I say we take the game." said Charles with a cool smile.

Ash smiled.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ketchum, but it's a no from me." said Teresa. "I just don't think it's in Silph Co.'s best interest to be on the blacklist of the Pokemon League. I hope you understand."

Ash could hear what sounded like a small whimper from May. He glanced at her, and saw that she was nervously biting her lip. Ash held her hand in an effort to calm her down.

"I'm siding with Charles. These games are totally worth a little rivalry with the league." said Frank.

Ash smiled again. 2 yeses and 1 no.

"Hmmm..." hummed David, thinking deeply about his choice. He had started out with a firm stance on rejecting the game, but Ash had given a solid speech, one that was making him weigh his options. If he added another yes, then the game would be accepted. If he added a no, then it would be tied 50/50, and then a tiebreaker would be needed. A tiebreaker would be a hassle, as it involved taking the question to higher branches of the corporation. If he said yes, they'd make a substantial increase in profit, but at the cost of upsetting the Pokemon League. If he said no, then they'd miss a major opportunity, but stay friendly with the league. After thinking about it for a full 30 seconds, the right option seemed clear.

"David, we need an answer from you." said Teresa.

"No need to rush me, I've already made my decision..." said David, looking at Ash. He reached out his hand. "Congratulations kid, Silph Co. is publishing your game."

...

Ash stared at David's hand, eyes wide. He looked at the rest of his Computer Club, hoping that he wasn't in the middle of some awesome dream. It didn't seem like he was, because everyone else was just as shocked, their eyes wide and their mouths opened. None of them had expected David to say yes, as he had made it very clear that he was against the game when the meeting had begun. Sure, even if they hadn't known that, getting a yes would feel surreal. But it was the fact that they had somehow changed David's mind was what made it a concept so hard to grasp.

Of course, Ash was the first one to let it sink in. As soon as he truly understood the weight of David's words, he felt like jumping out of his seat and doing victory laps around the room. But he knew better. He was going to be professional.

"Thank you, thank you very much." he said, shaking David's hand.

"We'll discuss contracts and percentages on a future date." said Frank. "We look forward to doing business with you, um... y'know, I don't recall you kids ever telling us the name of your company."

"Company name?" asked Ash.

"Yeah." answered Charles. "Silph Co. is going to be the _publisher_ for your game. You guys developed the game, making you a separate entity. Will you guys be put down as 'Ash's Computer Club' on the box?"

"No..." said Ash, thinking of a name. After a few seconds, one came to mind. "Well I don't know if we'll stick with this or not, but for now, how about 'Game Freak?'"

David rolled his cigar between his fingers, wiggling his eyebrows. "Hmmm... Game Freak... has a nice ring to it."

"Game Freak it is." said Frank, standing up. The rest of the executives stood up as well. "We look forward to doing business with you, Game Freak. We'll send an e-mail telling you the date of our next meeting sometime this weekend. Thanks for choosing Silph Co., and have a great day."

Realizing that it was time to leave, Ash stood. He looked at his friends, and much to his amusement, they were still in shock.

"Come on guys, let's go." said Ash calmly, walking out of the room.

May, Cilan, Clemont, and Tracey silently followed Ash out of the door, hands by their sides. Tracey, who was the last one out, closed the door behind him. There was a pause for a second, and the executives all looked at each other, confident smiles on their faces. With Pokemon Red and Blue in their hands, the future of Silph Co. seemed bright.

"Hm, I must admit, I expected a much louder response from them... They seemed rather calm about i-" started Teresa. But her statement was cut off by screams heard from the other side of the door. The screams were heard from down the hall, but they could be heard perfectly. The voices were familiar.

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! HELL YEAH! WE DID IT GUYS! WE FUCKING DID IT! PARTY AT MY HOUSE, _TONIGHT_! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FIVE YEARS OF WORK! FIVE FUCKING YEARS!"

"OH MY ARCEUS! ASH YOU WERE SOOOO PERFECT IN THERE! YOUR SPEECH WAS SO COOL AND AWESOME AND GREAT AND FANTASTIC AND WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL AND-"

"NO HERB OR SPICE IN THE WORLD CAN IMITATE THE ROBUST FLAVORS OF VICTORY THAT ARE SO GLORIOUSLY INVADING THE TASTE BUDS OF MY SOUL! WHAT A RECIPE FOR CELEBRATION!"

"OHOHOHOHOHOH, WE'RE GOING TO BE SOOOOO RICH GUYS! FILTHY STINKING RICH! MAYBE I'LL BE ABLE TO BUY ASH'S MOM A RING AND PROPOS- AGH! HEY, NO NEED TO HIT ME, ASSHOLE!"

"Guys, wait up... *gasp* I can't run as fast as you can!"

...

O.o

* * *

**Yeah I don't really have much to say. If you haven't noticed, there's no hint for the next one-shot. This is because I don't remember which one is next. I'll have to look through my PMs to find it. Seeya later,**

**~DarkSlash9**


	17. Desires

**Hello! I am well aware of how long its taken me to update this story, and I am sorry. As a gift, this is a double update! That's right folks, buckle up, because shit just got real. Alright so this one's a lemon, and its between Red and Serena. If that's not your cup of tea, feel free to skip this and read the next one-shot, which isn't a lemon. I still find it very difficult to write lemons, so feedback and/or constructive criticism is greatly encouraged for this chapter in particular.  
**

**Lol that's all I have to say, enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah, yeah, whatever Satoshi Tajiri just don't sue me bro.**

* * *

**One-shot 6  
**

Desires

* * *

It was a warm, late-Spring night, complete with starry sky and refreshing breeze. The end of the second semester had finally come, signifying the beginning of summer break. It had been a tradition in the University of Cinnabar Island for there to be a formal dance the night that all classes ended, and almost every student at the university was more than ready to 'leave it all on the dance floor' at the party. As previously stated, it was a formal dance, the planners of the event urging students to dress to impress. The message was well received, because there wasn't a single boy there without a snazzy suit and uncomfortable tie, and there wasn't a single girl there without 6-inch stiletto heels and a dress seeming to be worth more pokedollars than their college tuition.

Most of the students attending had arrived as soon as the dance began, but of course, there were a few that weren't as lucky to get there on time. But a certain four students were probably the latest of all, arriving a solid 2 hours late to the 5-hour party.

"Holy guacamoleeeeeeeee!" squealed May, hands on her cheeks. She was in an elegant, shiny red dress that was held up by simple spaghetti straps. She had a small purse to match the dress, and her hair was free of its usual bandanna. "This is sooooooooo cool! Look, there's a DJ! Look, there's a black-light! Look, there's a bar! Look, there's a dance floor!"

"Oh boy... dancing..." chuckled Ash nervously, being the next person to enter the building after May. He was wearing what was perhaps his nicest outfit that he owned; a white tuxedo with a red shirt and white bow-tie. His hair was in its usual state of chaos and discord, but of course, he didn't care. "I think I'll just find us all a table to sit at."

"In your dreams Ketchum! Red and Serena will find the table!" exclaimed May, grabbing Ash's arm. Ash gulped, while May grinned. "You and I are gonna dance til our legs fall off, you hear me?!"

"I hear ya..." muttered Ash, knowing he couldn't escape his fate.

"ALRIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" hollered May, pulling Ash towards the dance floor. "Red, hold this!"

May tossed her purse to the newest arrival to the party, the first thing to greet him being a shining red object flying towards his face. Luckily he was able to catch it, but couldn't help but wonder why it was thrown to him. But as soon as he saw May drag Ash to the dance floor, he put the pieces together. Realizing that there was a something missing from this scene, Red turned around, finding what he was looking for. A young lady with honey-blonde hair, cyan eyes, and a strapless black dress that hugged every curve of her body perfectly.

"Where did Ash and May go?" asked Serena, looking around. The theme of her outfit seemed to be the color black. The black lipstick, black purse, and large black hat on her head supporting the theory. Though it was a rather dark and mature outfit, Serena pulled it off quite well, gaining a few impressed stares from people nearby. Not noticing the eyes on her, Serena walked straight to Red, examining his outfit. She hadn't been able to get a good look at it in the car, and she had been eager to see it in full. Overall it was very basic; a black tux, white shirt, and black bow-tie. His hair was gelled into a neat and sophisticated style, the gel giving it a nice shine. What stood out to Serena the most was the red rose corsage and pocket square on the left side of his chest; they really completed the outfit. Serena's eyes widened slightly; she loved it. "Red...you look... _good._"

Red smiled and nodded to Serena, gesturing that she did as well.

"Thanks Red..." said Serena sweetly, looking around again. The place was huge, and there had to be at least 300 people dancing on the dance floor, with another 100 sitting at tables, talking. "You're holding May's purse, so I guess Ash and May are dancing?"

Red nodded.

"And they want you and I to find us all a table to sit at?" asked Serena, her tone flattening a bit.

Red nodded.

"Typical." sighed Serena, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Red's hand, and together they walked towards the side of the room that all the tables were. As expected, it took quite a while to find a free table, but eventually they came across one. As soon as they found it, Serena sat down, taking her large hat off her head. "Red, I'm sorry, but before you sit down, can you get me a drink?"

Red tilted his head.

"Hmm... how about a Shirley Temple? With extra cherries too?" she asked with a smile.

Red nodded. But before he left, he quickly bent over and planted a small peck on Serena's lips, his trademark grin showing itself afterwards. He then walked away, heading for the bar on the other end of the room. Alone and with no one to talk to, Serena was left with nothing but her thoughts. The first thing that came to mind was how good Red looked. It was quite the feat for him to be wearing something that nice without her helping him pick it out. Though it was basic, his outfit made him look like a handsome gentleman, one that knew how to treat a woman. And that was exactly what he was. As of late, Red had been treating Serena with even more love and care than ever before, taking her on multiple dates and showing up at her dorm with numerous different gifts. Needless to say, Serena was deeply flattered by all the attention, but she knew that there was a reason behind it. Red was treating her like a queen to combat the fact that the two of them hadn't been spending as much time together as usual.

It all started when their college's lacrosse team (which Red was on) made it to the Regional Championships. Of course, such an important event led to Red having to practice with his lacross team for more hours than usual, and more days a week. That had drastically cut out of the time of his day that was usually reserved for Serena. But things truly got their worst when the lacrosse team had won the regional title and qualified for the_ National_ tournament, practically eliminating any chance of him being with Serena for any more than 10 minutes a day. It was only when the lacrosse team finally finished the tournament with the rank of 8th in the nation did Red finally get to spend time with Serena. That was a week ago. Serena understood that Red had no choice in the matter; everyone knew Red's future was without a doubt going to be one heavily immersed in sports, and there wasn't a doubt in Serena's mind that he'd be a professional soccer or lacrosse player eventually. Being selfish and asking Red to spend more time with her during such an important time in his life wasn't in her nature, though she couldn't deny that it hurt not being able to see him.

That whole fiasco had lasted for about a month and a half, and by the end of it, Serena had found herself doing things she never thought she'd find herself doing. Without having Red for almost two months, she was experiencing some... tension. It was only 2 weeks into Red's training when Serena was already wishing for a chance to have a long, romantic night with him. And on those days, her definition of romantic was not roses and a box of chocolates. She wanted intimate, passionate night under the covers. But once it hit the one-month mark, Serena's feelings began to change. What had started out as a simple desire to make love to her boyfriend had begun to transform into a carnal hunger for sex, one that she was doing everything in her power to contain. But it wasn't easy. Whenever she was reaching an overload, she had to resort to some _new _tactics to relieve herself, tactics she'd never even thought of using before. But no video on the internet could come anywhere close to giving her the same rush of ecstasy that the real thing did. But nonetheless, Serena found herself deleting the browser history on her laptop 2-3 times a week.

Serena suddenly began to feel very hot. She opened her purse and pulled out a small black hand fan with silver sparkles. She quickly unfolded it and began to wave it towards herself, creating a light breeze to cool her down. Scanning the room for Red, she could see him approaching, two red drinks in his hands. Once her eyes met his, he smiled. Serena smiled back, putting her fan away. Just one look at him in that tux again and she knew what she wanted to do after the dance. Or rather... _who _she wanted to do.

_"Red oh Red..." _she thought to herself, a casual smile still on her face. _"Tonight... you're mine..." _

"Thanks Red." said Serena, grabbing the cherry flavored drink from Red's hands. As she had requested, there were extra cherries floating in the cup. She took a sip of the sweet drink, and sighed. "What kind of drink did you get, Red?"

Red smiled mischievously, refusing to answer Serena. Serena raised an eyebrow. Like hers, the drink was a red color... except it was much darker. It didn't take long for Serena realize what it was.

"Red." she whispered through gritted teeth. "Where on earth did you get red wine? You're not telling me that that idiot bartender really thought you were over 21, did he?"

Red nodded, revealing that was exactly what happened. Serena was going to scold him, but she stopped herself. They were both 20 years old; being 1 year underage wasn't that big of a deal. And it was no secret that Red was nowhere near as sensitive to alcohol as Serena was. For Serena, one glass of red wine was enough to turn her into an uncontrollable force of nature. For Red, one glass of red wine would give him the lightest of buzzes.

"Just don't get any more, okay?"

Red nodded. He wasn't planning on getting any more anyway. After taking another sip of her Shirley Temple, Serena scooted her chair closer to Red's and leaned her head on his shoulder. Still sipping from his wineglass, Red placed his free hand around Serena's shoulder, pulling her in close. They both watched the dance floor, and for the next 45 minutes, they stayed that way. While Red had spent most of that time watching other students dance, Serena had returned to her thoughts. She wanted him, and she wanted him _bad. _

"Hey Red?" asked Serena, her voice at level that only Red could hear. Red tilted his head and looked down at Serena. Serena took this as her cue to continue. "After the party, how about you and I-"

"Whew! I'm exhausted!" exclaimed a new voice, interrupting Serena. Feeling a great sense of irritation, Serena glared at the new arrivals. Ash and May were standing in front of them, both of them breathing slightly due to the whole hour they spent dancing. They both had plates of food in their hands, and both plates were stacked rather high. "I think we're done with the dancing tonight, eh Ash?"

"Yeah," exhaled Ash with a smile. "I'll admit it was a lot more fun than I thought it'd be, but I don't think my legs can handle much more."

Ash and May both sat in their chairs and placed their food on the table. While May immediately began eating, Ash looked at Red and Serena, a smile on his face. "So, what've you two been up to?"

"Not much," answered Serena, hiding her irritation at Ash and May's presence. "Just sitting here."

"You guys can go dance if you want to, Ash and I will watch the table." offered May, her mouth full of food. "Apparently the DJ's gonna change the genre of music playing to a smoother one soon. Ash and I are too cool for that jazz."

As if in cue, the fast paced party music that had dominated the room began to fade down, and soon the sounds of saxophones, bass guitars, and other instruments began to play.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen," echoed the DJ's smooth voice throughout the room. "it's me, your DJ, Super Phresh Philly-John with a super phresh announcement. Those party tunes you've been jammin' to are done for now... now... now's the time for some smooth, slow tunes. Fellas, grab your lady, take her the dance floor, and heat this place up with some super phresh dances of love... MMMMMMMMM-HMMMMMM..."

At the sound of that, all the people who didn't have dates awkwardly shuffled off the dance floor, while all the couples in the room approached it.

"Well?" asked Ash with a smile. "You heard the man, Red. Grab your lady and take her to the dance floor."

Serena looked at Red, who had a smile on his face. Without any words, the couple stood from their seats. In the most gentlemanly way possible, Red offered Serena his hand. She smiled and took it, and together, the two walked to the dance floor. The two blended right in with the rest of the couples, Serena putting her arms around Red's neck, while Red put his hands on Serena's waist. Together they slowly inched around the dance floor, both of them swaying side to side with every step. Even with her high heels, Serena was still a few inches shorter than Red, causing the latter to have to look downwards to make eye contact. Hazel eyes met cyan ones, and it seemed as if the two were lost in their own little world...

_"This nice, but it isn't what I want." _thought Serena rather blandly. _"Yes I want to slow dance, but..." _As smoothly as humanly possible, Serena turned around and positioned her backside in front of Red, placing Red's hands on her hips once more. _"in a much more... **meaningful** way..." _

In this position, Serena's ass was perfectly lined up with Red's waist, which was exactly what she wanted. Having seen people dance like this once or twice before, Red knew that he was supposed to lean his head on Serena's shoulder lovingly. He did just that, and at the first feeling of his breath touching her exposed neck, a chill was sent through Serena's body. The two stayed like that for a while, Red occasionally leaving small kisses in the crook of Serena's neck. In his mind, the night was already a success romance-wise. But Serena still wasn't pleased. Though her plan was to have her alone time with Red _after_ the party, she wanted to get the message across while _at _the party. But something was telling her that he hadn't received that message yet.

_"Maybe I should give him a little more... incentive." _thought Serena as she opened her eyes, unable to resist the sudden urge to lick her lips.

Red's eyes immediately opened when he felt Serena begin to slowly grind up on him, her hips moving in the most sensual of ways. His breathing hitched a little, and from that faint sound alone, Serena could tell her plan was working. She continued to grind on him, making sure she was getting the right spots. After a while, it became obvious she was.

"It's been more than 2 months since the last time..." whispered Serena, just quiet enough so none of the nearby couples could hear. "I want you Red... tonight... after the party..."

She could feel Red nod his head slightly.

"You don't understand..." she continued. Adding a little more sway into her seductive dance. "I don't just want you... I _need_ you..."

Red's breathing was very tense. Serena couldn't help but smile a little; he was trying to calm himself down. It seemed like he had been affected by the long separation between them as well; she'd never seen him have this much trouble controlling himself in public.

_"The more I egg him on... the better tonight will be..." _thought Serena, turning to face Red. She placed her lips on Red's, unknowingly placing what was the last straw for him.

"Don't fight it, Red..." she cooed in between kisses. "Just-"

Unable to take any more, Red grabbed Serena's hand and briskly led her through the sea of people, making his way towards the exit of the room. Serena gladly followed, though slightly confused. She _had _said that she wanted to satisfy her hunger _after_ the party, yet here he was, leading her away when there was still a solid 2 hours left.

_"Maybe we're leaving early?" _she thought. _"I'm down for that."_

Much to Serena's surprise, Red walked right past the door that lead to the parking lot. He walked to a nearby door and tried to open it. It was locked. He let out a small growl and pulled Serena along, heading for the next door. Locked as well. Red continued to try to open every door in the building, until they finally reached one that was unlocked. The door was far from the room where the dance was being held, which was a plus. Serena read the label on the door of the room, eyebrows furrowed.

_Janitor's Closet_

Before Serena had a chance to say anything, Red pulled her into the dark room, closed the door, locked it, and turned on the lights. Serena was slightly impressed; the room was unusually clean for a custodial closet. Most of the cleaning products on the shelf were brand new, and the room looked like it had been recently renovated.

Serena would have loved to examine the cleanliness of the room some more, but that had to put that on hold when Red's wine-flavored lips crashed into hers, his right hand leaning on the wall behind her, his other holding her back delicately. Serena was more than surprised by his ferocity; usually Red was the slower, smoother type. He usually was the one that started things slow and waited for Serena's permission to advance to the next level. But here he was, forcefully kissing her against a brick wall. Turned on if anything, Serena returned the sloppy kiss, both her hands reaching for his styled hair. Just a few rubs from her hands and his black hair had returned to its normal state, a few stray bangs falling over his forehead.

Nowhere near satisfied with just holding her back, Red's left hand snaked it's way down further, grabbing a firm hold on Serena's ass. Serena exhaled into the kiss at the feeling, her heart doing somersaults. Perhaps it was the small size of the closet that they were in, or perhaps it wasn't, but something about being in a confined space was turning Serena on like never before. The feeling of her back against the wall was igniting a lustful excitement, and the small moans she was adding into their french kiss was the proof.

"Red..." she whispered in between kisses.

Red would never ignore Serena; he loved her too much to do that. But this moment was the exception. Serena's words literally went through one ear out the other, as Red seemed to have never heard her say anything at all. He might have, because he did change things up a bit. He removed his mouth from Serena's, instead focusing his hungry kisses on the crook of Serena's neck.

"Redddd..." whimpered Serena.

Somehow, Red still didn't hear her. Tired of being ignored, Serena grabbed Red by the shoulders and pushed his back to the opposite wall, stray locks of her long hair falling over her face. Startled, Red could only watch with wide eyes as Serena stared right into his eyes, a certain look in them. Red knew what Serena's eyes usually looked like when they had sex, and the way they looked now were completely different from that. They looked predatory, feral even.

"I want you." she said, her grips on Red's shoulders tightening a little. "Right here. _Right now._"

Red didn't need to be told twice. As soon as the words had escaped Serena's mouth, he sprung into action. Immediately reaching for it, Red grabbed the bottom of Serena's dress. As he pulled up the fabric, thoughts of being caught entered his mind. But as quickly as the thoughts came, they left. He didn't care if they got caught, and he could tell from Serena's lustful gaze that she didn't either. Without a single bit of hesitation, Red hiked up Serena's dress, revealing her long, smooth legs. He handed the fabric for Serena to temporarily hold. Once she took it, Red grabbed her by the torso and raised her off the ground slightly. He grabbed her black underwear and easily removed it, tossing it aside. Skipping the foreplay, Serena wrapped her legs around Red's waist, while Red unbuttoned his dress pants. As soon as the last button was undone, his erect member fell out, having already slipped past his boxers. Serena let go of her dress, her arms wrapping themselves around Red's neck. Red had her in a standing missionary position, and given the setting, she couldn't have asked for a better one.

There was no warning. As soon as everything was good to go, Red inserted himself into Serena, earning a sharp inhale from the honey-blonde bombshell. Neither of them were in the mood to take it slow; this wasn't the usual love making. This was a lustful act, one charged by the fact that neither had felt each other in such a way for over 2 months. Red started out with what he thought was a relatively fast pace. He latched his mouth onto Serena's neck, determined to give her as many hickeys as he pleased. Elated by the sudden pleasure, Serena lolled her head back, unable to conceal her moans of ecstasy. Red was almost like a drug to her, and it was an indescribable feeling to have him back after such an absence. But he wasn't giving her the right dose. She wanted more. Much, _much _more.

After a couple minutes of the same pace, using every bit of willpower she could muster, Serena opened her eyes and placed a hand on Red's face, gaining his attention. Red opened his eyes, and saw Serena's hungry stare fixed on him.

"I need... more..." she hissed, the words coming out a little louder than she had expected. "More...!"

She wanted to say something a little more assertive, but it was hard to think of words in a situation like this.

Red gave Serena a certain look, and though he couldn't speak, she knew exactly what he would say if he could speak: "_I thought you'd never ask." _Red picked up the pace substantially, transforming Serena's moans into screams. Though it was already a known fact that Serena was rather loud during sex, she was surely reaching a personal record. Red had no doubt that her euphoric screams were probably echoing throughout the halls, probably gaining the attention of a custodian or two.

Without any type of worry or concern, Red continued to thrust in and out, at a speed that would make someone inexperienced in the art keel over in ecstasy. His hip and core muscles were already tiring, but he didn't dare stop. Not until he was satisfied, and neither he nor Serena were anywhere close to being that.

"OH!" shrieked Serena suddenly, giving off clear indication that Red had come into contact with the fabled area known as the G-spot. "OH MY- OH, RIGHT THERE!"

Red smirked, realizing that he had just discovered something he had never found before. Eager to play with his discovery, Red continued to pound at the specific angle that Serena's G-spot was located in, sending Serena into hysteria. It wasn't long before Red could feel her walls clamp onto him, the blonde letting out a howl that couldn't be described with any word other than blissful. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his suit as she rode the orgasm for as long as she could. Then, with a final gasp, she relaxed, breathing heavily.

Red gave her a few seconds to recuperate before slowly resuming. He hadn't reached a climax of his own yet, and it didn't take an expert to see that Serena wasn't ready to stop just yet.

"Red..." she moaned, taking the opportunity to speak before Red went all out again. "This isn't finished yet... don't waste any time! More!"

Red responded by thrusting back to his full speed, which caused an excited combination of an exhale and a cackle to escape Serena's mouth. She had never felt so complete. All the days spent without him inside her had made her feel empty inside, and only now did she finally feel filled. But of course, one measly orgasm wasn't going to be enough. The fun was only beginning...

* * *

"Where the heck are Red and Serena?" asked Ash, looking around. The dance floor was by in no means empty, but a considerable amount of people had already gone back to their tables. It should have been easy to spot Red and Serena. "I don't see them anywhere."

"Hold on, let me call Serena's phone." said May, pulling out her cell phone. She waited a few seconds before frowning. "She didn't pick up."

"Oh boy, I wonder what they're up to." muttered Ash sarcastically.

"Don't be silly Ash," giggled May, playfully punching Ash's arm. "they wouldn't do that here, in public. To be honest, that would seem like something more up _our _alley. You know Serena would never agree to it. She'd definitely want to wait until they were alone in a bed."

* * *

"OHHHHHH!" moaned Serena, her hands gripping Red's suit tightly. "I'm, I'm-"

Red simply nodded, feeling his release approaching as well.

* * *

"Yeah, that makes sense." agreed Ash, nodding his head. "They're probably just outside getting some fresh air or something."

"Exactly!" concurred May. "And even if they were having sex right now, where would they do it? A janitor's closet? Cliche stuff like that hardly ever happens in real life!"

"Haha, yeah!"

* * *

Serena's head lolled back and rested on the hard walls of the custodial closet, a cry of pure bliss filling the room. There was something about the setting... being cooped up in a janitor's closet... that just made the tingling feeling even greater. Experiencing sensations of his own, Red was forced to hold Serena up with only one hand, as he couldn't resist the urge to slam the other onto the nearest wall, the waves of euphoria just too much to handle.

* * *

"They're probably on their way here right now from wherever they went." concluded May, taking a sip of her drink. "They probably know that we're waiting for them."

Ash nodded, sipping his own drink as well.

* * *

Both breathing heavily and near exhausted, Red and Serena stared into each other's eyes. Red tilted his head downwards, silently asking Serena if she wanted to go another round.

"One more round?" gasped Serena lustfully, stray locks of her hair covering parts of her face. Red hastily nodded. "Absolutely."

Red, though tired, continued, beginning the round three. Both of them were exhausted beyond imagination, but they didn't dare stop. They were no longer running on energy, but pure lust and attraction. Serena was completely aware that she probably wasn't going to be able to walk in the morning. Not only did she accept the fact, she welcomed it. She planned on wearing the soreness like a badge of sorts, a symbol of achievement. At this point she wasn't even screaming anymore, as she had long since lost her voice. The only sounds coming from her were low, labored moans.

After holding Serena up for so long, Red could barely feel his arms, and hip muscles were just about spent. Even with all the lust and desire in the world, he was only human. He knew he had to end it before he reached his limit. Using every bit of energy he had left to spare, Red continued to drive in and out of Serena, causing the honey-blonde to let out the closest thing to a scream her exhausted vocal cords would permit.

It was this exact moment that Serena was looking for when they first got started in the closet. The moment where they were both near mindlessness, simply moving as one without any other things in the world besides each other crossing their minds. With each passing second, with each passing jolt, Serena could feel herself nearing her third and most likely final climax of the night, and judging by his shaky breaths, Red was reaching his second.

With one final push and shudder from both lovers, the act was finished, and they both slowly and sunk to the uncharacteristically clean floor of the custodial closet. They only stared at each other, the lust that had dominated their eyes for the past 30 minutes slowly retreating. As they both came down from their highs, they fell back down into the land known as reality. Serena let out a relieved sigh, glad that all her pent up sexual tension had been taken care of.

_(Serena's ringtone plays)_

"Hello?" asked Serena, trying her best to sound normal.

"Where are you guys?" asked May. "You've been gone for a long time..."

"Oh us?" asked Serena, turning to Red. She sent him a look that basically said _'give me some ideas!'. _Red made a bunch of sloppy gestures, way too tired to make sure that Serena even understood what he was trying to say. But apparently Serena got it, because she nodded her head. "Red and I... are outside taking pictures with some of our friends."

Serena looked at Red, who nodded. It sounded believable.

"Are you almost done? Ash and I are getting kind of bored without you guys. We actually want to leave."

"Yeah, we're almost done." said Serena. "Seeya in a few minutes."

Serena hung up the phone and stood up, her legs trembling. She barely lasted for 5 seconds before falling down, her legs giving out. She landed on Red, who embraced the beautiful girl that had just fallen on him.

"Red... there's no time for cuddling." sighed Serena. "We gotta clean up and get out of here... But I'll need your help... moving."

* * *

"Holy crap, how many pictures are they taking?" growled Ash, just about ready to rip his hair out at this point. The party was winding down, and if they didn't leave soon, there was a possibility they'd end up getting dragged into helping clean up. They had to get out, and soon.

"Look, there they are!" exclaimed May, pointing to the two figures approaching. "Hi guys!"

"Hey..." said Serena weakly. It looked like she was standing normally, but she was actually focusing almost all of her weight on Red. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yes." said Ash quickly, hopping to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

"Red?" asked May, walking up to the brother of her boyfriend. "What happened to your hair? There isn't gel in it anymore. It's actually kinda messy now..."

"Yeah..." added Ash, looking at the two. "And Serena... your hair seems like it's been messed with also."

Red and Serena glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes, both of them thinking the same thing: how could they have forgotten to fix their hair?! Red simply scratched the back of his head and chuckled, while Serena looked off in a different direction.

"What kind of _pictures_ were you guys taking?" asked May, hands on her hips.

"May, I don't think any pictures were taken." said Ash, a smirk on his face. "It looks like we were wrong. I guess Red and Serena _aren't _above doing it in public... So, where were you guys _really?_ The car? The bathroom? Or, dare I ask, a janitor's closet?"

Red and Serena looked downwards in shame, their faces pink.

* * *

"Damn college students and their damn nasty activities..." grumbled an elderly custodian, spraying disinfectant all over his beloved closet. "Come into my damn closet with their damn moaning and their damn kissing... as if they own this damn closet, _my _closet..."

The custodian heard Serena's screams pretty early on, but was too terrified to open then door. When Red and Serena had finished, he hid around the corner, waiting for them to leave. As soon as they did, he entered and began the process of sanitizing every single object in the room. He hoped that they hadn't done anything _too_ freaky... but just in case they did, he made sure _everything_ and _anything_ was clean and fluid-free.

"I don't get paid enough for this shit." he grumbled, making sure to disinfect the broomstick in the corner.

* * *

**The end! I would give you a preview of the next one-shot, but har har har, you can just go read it now! **

**~DarkSlash9**


	18. Visitors

**Alright, here's the second part of the double update. This one was requested by someone named BladeDancer123.  
**

**So... this is the second to last one-shot. The next one is the last chapter to be added to this story before I mark it as 'Complete'... check the A/N at the bottom for a small hint on what the final one-shot and chapter of this story will be!**

**DISCLAIMER: Lol why is this even necessary? Like, if I owned Pokemon, I wouldn't be writing FanFictions for it.**

* * *

**One-shot 7  
**

Visitors

* * *

It was a hot day, the blazing Kanto sun at it's highest point. On a hill overlooking Pallet Town stood two figures, both males, 20 years of age. One was significantly taller than the other, a least a solid 6 inches. The shorter one let out a small cough, and then a sigh.

"Well, here we are," he sighed, running a hand through his green hair. "Good old Pallet Town... brings back memories, hm?"

"Yeah..." answered his taller friend, scratching his head through his white cap. "Not gonna lie; I'm really nervous..."

"Why though? She's not mad at you anymore, I'm pretty sure I already explained your side of the story to her years ago."

"Yeah, but you didn't explain it to her sister. That's what I'm nervous about."

"I didn't see the need to." admitted the shorter of the two, shrugging his shoulders. "Serena hated us before that. If I remember correctly, misandry seemed to be her way of life back then..."

"Well whether she hated men or not, you not explaining what really happened back then gave her an actual reason to hate me, Wally. And you weren't there two years ago when my soccer team played her boyfriend's for the regional title in soccer... That Red Ketchum guy was terrifying on the field, especially from a goalkeeper's standpoint. Just one bad word from Serena and he could probably kill us both."

"Brendan, *cough* I think you might be over-thinking this a bit..." answered Wally, walking down the hall. "We're just here for a day, visiting a childhood friend. Red Ketchum is not going to kill us, and Serena is not going to make him. Now come on, you'll get sunburned if you stay on the top of that hill for too long, and if you do, I refuse to buy the Burn Heal."

Brendan took a deep breath and followed Wally down the hill. Though he was feeling nervous about seeing a certain brunette, he couldn't deny that he was excited as well. He hadn't seen May in 7 years, and the thought of seeing her again made him smile.

_"Maybe I can get her back..."_ he thought, the corners of his mouth curving upwards slightly.

* * *

The Maple household was relatively quiet, with only three people inside of it. Norman had left for work as he did everyday. May and Serena were home for the summer, but on this day, they had went to spend the afternoon at Ash and Red's house. The only people left were Caroline and Max. Max, now a senior in high school, had his friend Trevor over. While Max and Trevor confined themselves in Max's room to play video games, Caroline was in the kitchen, washing some dishes. With Max and Trevor occupied, she was enjoying the fact that the only sound she could hear was the running water of the faucet.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Who could that be?" thought Caroline aloud, turning off the faucet. "May and Serena can't be back already, can they?"

_Knock! Knock!_

"Hold on, I'm coming!" called Caroline, drying her hands off. She quickly walked towards the door, opening it. Her eyes widened as a smile spread across her face. "Oh my, Brendan! Wally! I can't believe it! How long has it been?!"

"Too long, Mrs. Maple." said Brendan with a smile. "7 years, I think."

"How have you and your family been?" asked Wally, stifling down a cough.

"Are you okay Wally? Do you need a drink?" asked Caroline.

"No thanks, I'm alright. You know me, eternally sick." joked Wally sheepishly. Not knowing whether it was okay to laugh at Wally's sickness or not, Caroline smiled awkwardly. Then there was a silence. "So, are May and Serena home?"

"Well, they're home from college, but I'm afraid they aren't in the house right now."

"Where are they?" asked Brendan eagerly. He and Wally were only visiting for one day; it would be pretty aggravating if they traveled a whole 6 hour journey to Pallet Town for nothing. "Are they close by?"

"They're on the other side of town at the Ketchums' house." answered Caroline, pulling a pen and paper out of thin air. "Here, I'll write down the address so you can go see them. I'm sure May and Serena would be more than happy to see you guys after so long."

At the mention of the last name Ketchum, Brendan shuddered. _"Well, looks like it'll be impossible for us to avoid Red..."_

"Thank you very much Mrs. Maple." said Wally respectfully. He read the paper, and his eyes widened a little. "Oh, would you look at that. We walked right past their street on the way here, Brendan."

"..."

"Brendan?"

"Um, y-yeah." answered Brendan, snapping out of his trance. "Red's house. Let's go."

"It was nice seeing you boys again!" said Caroline, preparing to close the door. "When you get there, tell the girls to be home by dinner!"

"Will do." said Wally with a grin. As soon as the door closed, Wally frowned and turned to Brendan. "You really need to calm down."

"I know... but how can I? We're going to his _house_ now. His domain!"

"You're so afraid of him that you don't even realize that there's no reason to be. He's not going to do anything to us. He literally has no reason to."

"I know that... he's just really intimidating."

"Well if you want to see May, looks like you'll have to get over it..." sighed Wally, walking to the sidewalk. "Come on, we should reach our destination in about 15 minutes."

"Suddenly I feel like just going home..." muttered Brendan, following Wally.

* * *

"May, please don't do it." said Ash pleadingly, his voice cracking in fear.

"I'm sorry Ash, but I've already thought long and hard about it, and you won't change my mind..." answered May, a hand on her heart. "I can't just live my life feeling... restrained. I need to be free from this... on my own. Please, try to understand."

Ash couldn't believe his ears. Ever since they had become a couple, Ash had never thought of the possibility that something like this could happen. He thought things would go smoothly forever, but now that _this _was happening, he realized how foolish he had been all along. It really was true, he mused. All good, amazing, wonderful things really do come to an end eventually, no matter how life-changing.

"But... May, I love you... don't... please..."

"I love you too... but this has gone on far enough, Ash... I'm so sorry... but it's time for me to do something that should've been done a long time ago. This hurts me more than you, but..." May pressed the "A" button on her Wii remote. "YOU HAVE JUST LOST TO ME IN MARIO PARTY!"

"Dammit!" sobbed Ash as he fell face-down onto the floor, his brown-haired girlfriend dancing circles around him.

"That was so much more dramatic than it had to be." sighed Serena, rolling her eyes. She then looked down to the black-haired 20 year-old who's sleeping head was resting on her lap. She smiled. "Red, wake up. Ash lost; I believe you owe me some cash."

Red's eyes quickly opened, his ears having picked up everything Serena had said. The first thing he did was glare at Ash, who was too busy mourning the destruction of his Mario Party winning streak to notice his brother's evil glare. Ash had never lost in Mario Party before, so of course Red had bet a lot of money that he would beat May, as he had done multiple times before. But apparently May had come prepared with some sort of strategy, because she had somehow beaten the unbeatable. Continuing to glare at his defeated brother, Red fished into his pocket and pulled out 30 dollars, reluctantly placing the cash into Serena's welcoming hands.

"I want a rematch!" declared Ash.

"Nope!" chirped May, turning off the Nintendo Wii. "I won, Ashy! Fair and square!"

"I'll never live this down, will I?" sighed Ash.

"Never!" agreed May.

"Well," started Serena, putting her newly acquired 30 bucks into her purse. "now that May has defeated Ash, what should we do now?"

"Whatever we do, we should just stay indoors." answered Ash, standing up. "It's way too hot outside."

"Yeah, I don't really want to go outside either..." agreed May, dropping herself onto the closest available seat. Suddenly, May's head perked up. She could hear something in the distance. Her mouth began to water. "I lied, I want to go outside."

"Why?" asked both Ash and Serena. Right after they finished speaking, they both heard what May was hearing. It was a childish tune that seemed to be getting louder and louder.

"Ice-cream truck!" cheered May, hopping off the couch. "Come on, let's buy something from it before it drives away!"

"But May, we already have ice-cream in our freez-"

"Oh yeah, because plain vanilla ice-cream is _so _satisfying." said May sarcastically, pulling some money out of her fanny-pack. "I need something exciting! Something that will make me sigh in dairy-induced ecstasy!"

May ran out the door, leaving just Ash, Serena, and Red in the room. Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out some money of his own. All he had to do was look at Red and Serena, and he could tell that they didn't plan on buying anything. Red gave Ash a warning look, which Ash ignored. Ash had almost gotten rid of his ice-cream problem. It was a long, arduous journey, but with May's help, he was able to eat it without going on a rampage.

"I'll be back." he said, walking out the door. The ice-cream truck had already stopped in front of their house, and May was already standing by it. But it didn't seem like she was being served. Ash raised an eyebrow. "Why isn't the guy selling you the ice-cream?"

"Oh, he's serving some people on the other side of the truck. Once he gives them theirs he'll serve us." explained the brunette, her eyes scanning the small menu on the truck. "Oh boy, I want a double scoop of banana ice-cream with rainbow sprinkles on a waffle cone!"

"Here you go ma'am." said the ice-cream man, handing May exactly what she had just said... less than 5 seconds after she said it.

Wide-eyed, May gingerly took the ice-cream. "How did you...?"

"It was your favorite 7 years ago," said a new voice. From around the corner of the ice-cream truck, Brendan appeared. "so I bought it for you."

May turned to her left, eyes even wider. "No way..."

"Yes *cough* way..." said another voice, the owner of this voice appearing from the side of the truck opposite of Brendan.

Ash looked back and forth at the two newcomers, an eyebrow raised. He spent a few seconds looking at Wally, and didn't really think anything of him. But it only took him a split second to recognize Brendan's face. At first he couldn't think of where he'd seen the guy before, but eventually he remembered; Brendan was Lavender Town's goalkeeper in the Regional Championship soccer game years ago.

"BRENDAN?!" shrieked May, dropping her ice-cream. She immediately ran to Brendan, giving him a huge hug. The force of the hug was enough to knock Brendan over completely, both of them falling on the grass below. "B-BRENDAN?!"

Ash's eyes narrowed. As far as he knew, he was the only one May ever hugged like that. Just who was this Brendan guy, and what did he mean to May?

"Hey, my name's Wally." greeted Wally, holding out a hand for Ash to shake.

"I'm Ash." said Ash distantly, shaking Wally's hand. "Ash Ketchum."

"WALLY?!" screamed May, running over to Wally, planning on giving him a hug as well. Wally quickly sidestepped, causing May to miss. But May didn't seem too upset, because when she turned around, there was still a huge grin on her face. "I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU GUYS IN LIKE, 5-EVER!"

"5-ever...?" asked Ash.

"That's one more ever than_ for_ever." explained Brendan, walking up to Ash. He held out a hand to Ash. "Hi, the name's Brendan."

Ash stiffly shook Brendan's hand. "I'm Ash Ketchum."

At the sound of Ash's last name, Brendan seemed to freeze up a little. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Ash.. _Ketchum?_"

"Yes, Ash Ketchum. Is there something wrong?"

"N-no, nothing!" answered Brendan, quickly walking over to May and Wally. _"I forgot that there were TWO Ketchums! And if my memory serves me correctly, Ash is the one that's so hardcore that he stopped the ball by letting it hit him in the crotch! As if Red wasn't terrifying enough!"_

"So, what brings you guys here?!" asked May, overjoyed to see her old friends. "Have you come to visit me?!"

"Yup." answered Brendan. "It's good to see you, May."

"It's _great_ to see you guys!" hollered May, pulling each boy close with an arm.

"I don't understand," interrupted a new voice, one that was coming from Ash's house. Everyone looked, and saw Serena opening the door. "I thought you guys just went out to buy some ice-cream, why is there so much yelling... _Brendan? Wally?"_

The last two words that came from Serena's mouth were dripping with disdain and disgust, making it very clear that she still wasn't very fond of the two boys. At the sight of Serena, Brendan and Wally both sighed, ready for the wave of negativity that was approaching.

"Hello Serena." sighed Wally, weakly waving a hand. "You've gotten... pretty."

"Um, yeah, what he said." said Brendan.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Serena, walking towards them all, her eyes narrow. "Especially you Brendan; finally come to apologize to May after all these years?"

"Apologize for what?" asked Ash.

"Nothing," said May, glaring at Serena. "Serena, what happened wasn't Brendan's fault. Wally explained everything to me afterwards. Stop being a meanie!"

"Yeah Serena," taunted Brendan playfully. "Stop being a meanie."

Serena sent Brendan a look so hateful that Brendan immediately shuffled around uncomfortably, mumbling a series of barely audible apologies. After that, there was a small silence. Serena continued to glare at Brendan and Wally, while both of them stared back in uncomfortable fear. Ash was also staring Brendan and Wally down, especially Brendan. What was Serena talking about? What did Brendan do to May in the past? So many damn questions and zero answers.

"Well!" said May loudly, breaking the silence. "Why don't we all go inside and catch up?"

"Sounds good." said Wally with a smile.

May grabbed both boys by the hands and ran into Ash's house, a big smile on her face. Ash simply watched, wondering what he heck was going on. Two random boys that he'd never seen showed up. May practically lost her mind when she saw them. Serena came out and treated them with hostility. And finally, May had just invited both the guys into _his own_ _house_ without even asking him. Now it was just him and Serena outside, neither of them speaking.

"Okay," started Ash. "Who the fuc-"

"They're old 'friends'." explained Serena, turning to Ash. "Well, old friends of May, not me. I've never liked them."

"Why?"

"Well at first it was simply because they just seemed to rub me the wrong way, but then... something happened, and that just made me dislike them even more, Brendan in particular."

"What happened?" asked Ash, his interest piqued.

"Well here's something you should probably know: Brendan is May's ex-boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend, huh? Well their break-up must not have been too messy, because they seem to be really comfortable with each other."

"He kissed another girl."

"...Come again?"

"He kissed... another girl."

"That's te-"

"Terrible? I know. Apparently May walked in on him locking lips with some other girl, and she slapped him and everything. I still remember how long she cried afterwards..."

"Wait, if they broke up like that, then how come she's so happy to see Brendan?" asked Ash, unable to make sense of it.

"I really don't know. Apparently Wally said some stuff to her, and just like that, she forgave Brendan. But coincidentally, on the same day May dumped him, he found out that he and Wally were moving out of Pallet Town."

"He _and _Wally?"

'They're step-brothers."

"I see..." muttered Ash. "So since May's the one that dumped him back then, I don't have anything to worry about, do I?"

"I wouldn't say that." said Serena flatly. "May really liked Brendan. He wasn't her first crush, but he was definitely her first _love._ As much as I don't want it to be true, there's always that possibility that May has some feelings left for him, and I could tell by the way he was looking at her a few minutes ago that _he's_ still in to _her_. If I were you, I'd keep a close eye on him, Ash."

"... You're right." agreed Ash. "But they're only staying for a day, so I'm sure everything'll be fine."

"I hope so." said Serena, walking towards the house. "Come on, they're in _your _house after all. You've gotta take up the role as host, since Red can't talk."

"Yeah." sighed Ash, following Serena inside.

As soon as the two entered the house, they were greeted with the sight of May, Brendan, and Wally sitting on the couch, talking. Red was nowhere to be seen. May seemed to be telling a story, and Brendan and Wally were listening, seeming to be very interested in said story. Serena walked out of the room to find Red, while Ash sat on the couch across the room. He stared at Brendan, and noticed just how close he was to May. Yes, he and Wally were sitting next to her, but Brendan was sitting next..._ to... **her**._ There was a normal space between May and Wally, but there was no more than 3 inches between May and Brendan. Ash couldn't help but feel a small nauseous feeling as he stared at them.

"And that's when Kenny really started to act crazy," said May. "He started doing all these creepy, crazy things. It escalated to the point where he came to Serena and I's Christmas party and got into a fight with Ash. There was blood _everywhere. _A week after that, I went to Ash and Red's New Year's Eve party, where Ash ended up being stabbed by Kenny outside."

Both Brendan and Wally gasped at that last sentence, and then they both glanced at Ash, wide eyed.

"He _stabbed _you?" asked Wally, staring at Ash as if he were some kind of hero.

Ash simply nodded, remembering that night like it was the day before.

"Damn," growled Brendan, his hands balled in fists. "I always knew Kenny was more on the wild side, but _stabbing _someone? That's just plain insane."

"Yeah, he was a nutty one." agreed May. "But then it all ended up being okay, because Red found Kenny and beat the living poo out of him and turned him into the police! You should have seen it, it was a slaughter! I'm sure Kenny regretted being born after such a beating! Truly a testament to Red's power that would totally scare anyone who is afraid and/or intimidated by him!"

Brendan's face went pale at the sound of Red's actions. "Oh... w-wow. So um, what happened next?"

"Well then I visited Ash at the hospital everyday and waited for him to wake up! And when he finally did..."

May looked at Ash lovingly, gaining confused looks from Brendan and Wally.

"What happened?" they both asked.

"We confessed our love for each other and became a couple!" said May happily. "We've been dating for over 3 years now!"

This came as a complete curve-ball to Brendan, as May had completely left her romance with Ash out of the story til that point. His hopes of getting May back and starting a long-distance relationship with her were basically crushed at that point. He looked at Ash, who had a smile on his face.

"Oh, that's cool." droned Brendan.

"3 years? That's a really long time!" observed Wally. "You two must really love each other to be together for that long."

"Without a doubt, right Ashy?"

"Mhmmm." hummed Ash.

"Our relationship is so awesome and full of love!" continued May, raising her voice. "IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN RED AND SERENA'S!"

Ash smirked, knowing what May was up to. He cupped his hands around his mouth, planning on helping her out. "YEAH, IT DEFINITELY IS!"

"Why are you guys yelling?" asked Wally.

"Wait for it." said Ash, staring at the stairs. "5...4...3...2..."

A sound was heard, and it sounded like someone running down the stairs. This person sounded really heavy, as each step they took shook some of the furniture in the house. It was only when the person got to the main floor of the house did Brendan and Wally realize that it wasn't one heavy person, it was one person carrying another, bridal-style. The person being carried was Serena, and the other person was none other than Brendan's worst nightmare himself: Red. He had a competitive fire in his eyes, causing Brendan to experience traumatizing flashbacks from that soccer game over 2 years ago. The same fire in that was in his eyes when he kicked the ball was there right now. Serena, on the other hand, seemed to be rolling her eyes. Something about the look on her face told that this wasn't the first time Red had done this. It was his way of proving that his relationship with Serena was 'better' than Ash's with May.

Ignoring the complete strangers that were sitting next to May, Red carried Serena to the center of the room, glaring at Ash and May before pulling her into an extremely passionate kiss. In order to put emphasis on the passion, he leaned downwards into the kiss, slowly getting lower and lower until he abruptly stood back up, ending the kiss. He then looked at Ash and gave him the middle-finger. With his demonstration complete, Red finally looked at his surroundings, noticing Brendan and Wally.

"Oh, Red, this is Brendan, and this is Wally!" said May, pointing to the two boys. 'They're old friends of mine. If you remember, Brendan was Lavender Town's goalkeeper when you played them for the Regional Championship!"

Wally could have sworn he heard Brendan whimper like an injured Poochyena pup when May mentioned his participation in the Regional Championship game. With a small cough, Wally decided to get the introductions underway. He stood up from the couch and walked over to Red, who was still holding Serena.

"Hi, I'm Wally." greeted Wally with a friendly smile. He then held out a hand for Red to shake.

Red put Serena down and shook Wally's hand, smiling as well. The greeting seemed simple enough, but Brendan was already sweating profusely at the sight of his step-brother shaking Red's hand. Even though it was a simple handshake, Brendan's imagination had somehow gotten the best of him, playing multiple different scenarios...

* * *

_"Hi, I'm Wally." greeted Wally with a friendly smile. He then held out a hand for Red to shake._

_Red put Serena down. He then grabbed Wally by the throat and smashed him into the nearest wall, killing him on contact.  
_

* * *

_"Hi, I'm Wally." greeted Wally with a friendly smile. He then held out a hand for Red to shake._

_Red put Serena down and grabbed Wally's hand. At first it seemed like he was going to shake it... but instead he ripped it off. he then bit off all the fingers and let out a maniacal laugh as Wally's blood trickled down his chin._

* * *

_"Hi, I'm Wally." greeted Wally with a friendly smile. He then held out a hand for Red to shake._

_Red put Serena down. He then transformed into a shiny Mega-Rayquaza and shot a Hyper Beam at Wally, incinerating the poor boy._

_"Nice to meet ya, bitch." cackled Red._

* * *

**REALITY**

Brendan let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Wally returned from his handshake with Red, unscathed. But his panic quickly returned when Red turned to him, the friendliest of smiles on his face. But Brendan did not smile back. He stared at Red with pure fear etched in his eye sockets, his lip trembling. Wally sighed, May frowned, Serena raised an eyebrow, Ash stared at him, and Red tilted his head.

"H-hello, R-red." stammered Brendan, holding a hand out. "I'm B-brend-dan!"

* * *

_"H-hello, R-red." stammered Brendan, holding a hand out. "I'm B-brend-dan!"_

_Red stared at Brendan for a second, staring him down analytically. He then unsheathed his katana that he had hidden in the leg of his pants and stabbed Brendan._

* * *

_"H-hello, R-red." stammered Brendan, holding a hand out. "I'm B-brend-dan!"_

_Red shook Brendan's hand, a kind smile on his face. But the smile slowly turned into a sadistic grin. Before Brendan could run, Red grabbed him by the hair, dragged him outside, and threw him into the Sun._

* * *

_"H-hello, R-red." stammered Brendan, holding a hand out. "I'm B-brend-dan!"_

_Red wasted no time. He let out some kind of evil screech, and suddenly, a giant ravine opened up on the living room floor. Out of the crack came thousands of imps and creatures of the underworld. Red then kicked Brendan into the ravine, and then took a piss on him as he fell into the fiery pits of the Netherrealm, never to be seen by his family and loved ones again..._

* * *

**REALITY**

Red shook Brendan's hand, with the same friendly nature that he shook Wally's. As soon as Red had let go of Brendan's sweaty hand, Brendan seemed to return from his nightmares, realizing he had survived the encounter.

"Alright, now that we're all acquainted, why don't we have some fun?!" exclaimed May happily.

"Okay!" said Wally a grin on his face.

"Y-yeah!" stuttered Brendan, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Whatever." sighed Serena, folding her arms.

"Hm." hummed Ash, staring at Brendan cautiously.

...

If the next few hours were to be explained by each of the 6 young adults in the house, each one would tell a different story, the only thing in common being that they played video games and ordered some pizza. May seemed to be having a blast the whole time, her smile never leaving her face. Wally had fun as well, though he felt irritated with how dry Serena was being. Serena simply didn't want to be in the same room as Brendan and Wally, and made several attempts to leave, all of which where thwarted by Red. Red had taken a liking to Brendan and Wally, though Brendan's seemingly terrified behavior around him confused him. Brendan was constantly trying to talk and interact with May, always making sure to keep an eye on Red with his peripheral vision. He was so focused on Red and May that he barely noticed the intense, soul-splitting gaze that Ash had fixated on him since he had arrived. Ash had barely moved from the couch he was on, and barely spoke the whole time. If looks could kill... if only looks could kill.

It was 5pm by the time things had finally calmed down. By that time, Serena had finally won her freedom and escaped upstairs, no longer having to deal with the presence of Brendan and Wally. Wally had fallen asleep on the couch, his sickness bringing a sudden wave of exhaustion over him. This left just Ash, May, Brendan, and Red in the room. Without Wally, his right hand man, in action, Brendan felt lost. He had no idea what to do; it was just him, May, May's boyfriend, and Red Ketchum. There was no possible way for him to be comfortable at the moment.

"So Brendan," said Ash calmly, _still _sitting in the recliner couch that he'd sat in all day. Brendan turned to Ash, and for the first time noticed Ash's hard glare. Brendan simply gulped, realizing that maybe Ash was the one he should be afraid of... "Earlier, Serena was talking about you apologizing to May for something. I'm just curious, what was she talking about?"

At the sound of that, Red turned to Brendan as well, eager to hear a good story. Brendan now had both Ketchums staring him down, and he had never been so close to soiling himself as he was at that very moment.

"Oh... well um, you see-"

"Brendan and I used to be boyfriend and girlfriend." explained May nonchalantly.

While Red's eyes widened slightly, Ash's mouth opened.

"Oh, really?" asked Ash, pretending that he didn't know. "What happened? I guess it must've just been a mutual break-up if you're still friends today."

"Well... not exactly..." said May quietly. "It all started when..."

This is what Ash was waiting for. He wanted to learn the full story. If what Serena told him was true - that Brendan had kissed another girl - then all hell would break loose, and Ash would end up giving Brendan a piece of his mind. Anyone who was dumb enough to cheat on a great person like May wasn't allowed in the Ketchum household.

"Wait May," interrupted Brendan. "Let me explain. May and I were both 13. May was my first girlfriend, and I was her first boyfriend. We were like two peas in a pod, inseparable. Everything about us just seemed to click, as if destiny wanted us it be togethe-"

"I get it." snapped Ash.

"...sorry. Anyway, our relationship was a healthy one and it didn't show any signs of ending any time soon... but there was a problem."

"A problem?" asked Ash.

"Yes, a problem. Kris." said Brendan, his face darkening at the sound of the name. "She was this girl... this girl who liked me. But I didn't have any feelings for her, and I told her that as nicely as possible. She seemed to accept it, and for a while, she backed off... but then.. one day..." Brendan's face darkened even more. "May and I were going on a date. Just a simple walk in the local park with some ice-cream. May said she was running a little late, so I waited for her on a park bench. Literally out of nowhere, Kris came. She was crying, saying that she really loved me and wanted me to be her boyfriend. I once again told her that I was with May, and that I wasn't interested. But instead of taking it and walking away like she did last time... she forced herself on me. She grabbed my face and pulled me into the grossest kiss I've ever participated in. Unfortunately, May happened to get to the park right then, and had the perfect view of Kris kissing me..."

"And then I slapped you!" said May proudly. "Right across that stupid face of yours!"

"Yes, May slapped me." sighed Brendan. "She slapped me and dumped me right then and there, in front of Kris, and in front of the whole park. May ran back home, crying. I called after her, but she didn't listen. So then I did the next logical thing. I turned to Kris and roasted that bitch in front of the whole park. She ran away, crying her eyes out. I was destroyed by the breakup, and of course the first person I vented to was Wally, who was my best friend at the time, not my step-brother. Determined to clear my name, Wally went to May's house and explained what really happened to her. Later that night, I got a call from May, and we talked everything out. It looked like we'd get back together... But while we were on the phone, another call came in, and I put May on hold. It was Wally, calling to tell me that... that my dad and Wally's mom, who were dating at the time, were getting married. I was happy, because that meant that my best friend was about to become my step-brother... but the mood changed completely when Wally said that their parents had purchased a house in Lavender Town for them all to live in. We were to pack our things and move away in 2 days."

"So that's how you ended up in Lavender Town?" asked Ash, his expression long since softened. Once he heard Brendan's story, he no longer felt any negativity towards him. But he was still cautious.

"Yep..." sighed Brendan. "I told the news to May, and she and I both decided that long-distance wasn't going to work... at least not for 13 year-olds. So we decided to stay broken up..."

"I see..." mumbled Ash. "Well, I'm sorry for what happened between you two... well I am, but I'm not. Because... you know... _I'm _kind of May's boyfriend now, so-"

"Ash! Don't be a meanie!"

"No I didn't say that to brag, I was just saying-"

"It's okay, I understand Ash." said Brendan oddly. "But... just... for entertainment purposes, I'd like to challenge you."

"Challenge me?" asked Ash. "In what?"

"A video game." said Brendan, looking Ash dead in the eye. A competitive spark had risen inside Brendan, one that he couldn't control if he tried. For some reason... he felt like beating Ash at something... in front of May. Maybe it was jealousy? Or maybe just to embarrass the raven-haired gamer? Whatever it was, he fully accepted it.

Ash's eyes narrowed, his arms crossed. He knew what Brendan wanted. He wanted a battle. A battle between men for the heart of a woman. "Challenge accepted."

"Good."

Red and May looked at each other, wondering just what the heck was going on.

"Since you're a guest in my home, I'll give you the privilege of choosing which game we do battle in." said Ash, opening a drawer below the TV. In it were somewhere near 100 games, all of them neatly organized in alphabetical order. "Choose wisely."

Brendan looked at the games, his mind already set on a certain one. He found it, grinned, and pointed to it. "I choose this one."

Ash looked at the game Brendan pointed at and raised both eyebrows, nodding his head in approval. "Super Smash Brothers Melee, hm? Not a bad choice, not a bad choice at all..."

At the name of the game, May gasped. That was Brendan's game. Last time she remembered, Brendan practically lived off that game. He went to tournaments, and he won tournaments. She knew Ash was good at it as well, but when it came to that game, Brendan was a force of nature.

"Brendan, come on, be reasonable! Spare him!" pleaded May. "Ash doesn't stand a chance if you're playing _that _game."

Brendan put a hand on his chin, actually taking May's words into consideration. "Well... I guess it's not really fai-"

"No." growled Ash, determination burning in his eyes. The fact that May had just said he was going to lose just made him want to beat Brendan more. "This is the game Brendan chose, and this is the game we will play."

"...Okay...?"

"O-fucking-kay indeed." snapped Ash. "Now let's set the damn game up."

Ash and Brendan silently set up the game.

They turned it on.

They skipped all the intros and went straight to the character select screen.

"Choose your character." commanded Ash.

"After you."

"Alright..." grumbled Ash, selecting Pikachu.

Brendan smirked as he went over to his best character.

"Princess Peach?" asked Ash with a snort. "Are you serious?"

"Don't underestimate me." whispered Brendan.

"Yeah okay." laughed Ash condescendingly, planning on mopping the floor with Brendan.

...

_15 minutes later..._

_..._

"ONE MORE GODDAMN MATCH, YOU CHEATER! ONE MORE! LET ME USE MY _REAL BEST _CHARACTER ON YOU!"

"That's what you said last match... and the one before, and the one before that." noted Brendan.

"I'VE BEEN HOLDING BACK!" roared Ash.

"Have you?" asked Brendan.

"YES!" Ash chose another character. "I'll kick your ass with Captain Falcon!"

"Ash..." sighed May. "Please, just give up. You can't beat Brendan."

"Oh yes I can!"

"Ash, this is gonna have to be our last match... it's getting late, and Wally and I have to head back to Lavender Town soon..."

"No problem, I'll end it quick!"

"If you say so..." sighed Brendan, starting the match.

Ash just couldn't understand it. Brendan was inhumanly good at the game. Every time Ash tried to land an attack, Brendan would either dodge it, or cancel out his attack with a stronger one. Ash had literally used every technique in the book, and almost none of them proved effective against Brendan. Once again, he found himself losing... badly. They had both started with four lives, and Ash as already down to 1, while Brendan still had 3.

"Ready to call it quits Ash?" taunted Brendan.

"As if! This match isn't over!"

Ash pressed a few buttons in quick succession, causing his character, Captain Falcon, to perform a short-hop and a forward aerial attack. Luckily the attack connected, and Brendan's character, Princess Peach, was sent flying off the map. It was obvious that Brendan was about to lose a life, but Ash wasn't done. He then sprinted off the ledge and charged up a Falcon Punch, landing the legendary attack on Peach in mid-air.

"Damn, you know how to do the Sacred Combo?" asked Brendan, honestly impressed.

"Hell yeah I do." said Ash proudly.

Ash still had 1 life, and he had just knocked Brendan down to 2 instead of 3. Things still didn't look too good for Ash, but in a rare mistake, Brendan accidentally self-destructed, evening out the match.

Brendan's eye twitched a bit. "Crap."

Feeling a surge of confidence, Ash attacked Brendan, the game now even.

_"I can do this. I CAN DO THIS!"_ thought Ash with a smile. But then Brendan performed a down-smash attack, sending Ash flying off the stage so fast that there was no chance of him saving himself with a recovery move.

"I win."

"..."

"Ash?" asked May, cautiously walking to her boyfriend. "You okay?"

Red slowly approached Ash as well, just to make sure he didn't attack Brendan.

"This..." mumbled Ash, his voice barely audible. "is a load of poppycock BS the likes of which I've never seen... First I lose in Mario Party to May, ending my several year long winning streak... and then I get my ass handed to me by her ex-boyfriend, in my own home... can this day get any worse?"

"Ash..." called Serena from upstairs. She sounded a little scared. "Can you come up here for a second?"

"Sure, I'll be up there in a minute, Serena..." said Ash monotonously. He then turned to Brendan, his face void of any emotion. "The next time you visit... I shall crush you. You may have won the battle... but the war? Hoho, the war is _far _from over, _Brendan._"

"Wally and I will visit again in a few weeks." said Brendan, standing up. "Maybe next time we'll play a game that we're _both_ good at."

"Yeah... WAIT, WHA-"

"Ash..?" called Serena.

"I'm coming..." grunted Ash, trudging up the stairs.

Everybody watched Ash go, leaving just Red, May, and Brendan as the conscious people in the room. The room was silent except for the light snoring of Wally. The clock in the corner of the room rang five times, alerting everyone of what time it was.

"Well... it looks like it's time for Wally and I to hit the road." said Brendan, scratching his head. He walked over to Wally and flicked the grass head's forehead, waking him. "It was really nice seeing you again May. And it was... cool meeting you, Red."

"BYE BRENDANNNNNNNN!" cried May, pulling her two friends into tight hugs. "BYE WALLLYYYYYYY!"

"Bye May." said both of them, one barely awake and the other one blushing.

"We'll definitely visit again by the end of the month." added Brendan. "Tell Serena we said goodbye."

"Why not just tell her yourselves?" asked May.

"*yawn* Not in the mood to be sassed by her." groaned Wally.

They all laughed.

"I guess we'll be going now-"

"Wait, Red wants to do something!" observed May.

It was true. Red walked up to Brendan and Wally, causing the former to shiver in fear.

"Wh-what's up, Red?"

* * *

_Red jump-kicked Brendan in the throat.  
_

* * *

_Red picked up a sofa and smashed Brendan through the wall with said sofa._

* * *

_Red grabbed Wally and imagined he was playing baseball, with Wally being the bat and Brendan's head being the ball.  
_

_He hit a home-run._

* * *

**REALITY**

Red put his hands in the air, asking Brendan and Wally for high fives. Wally gladly returned the gesture, while Brendan gingerly slapped his hand into Red's.

"OkayIt'sTimeForUsToLeave,Bye!" cried Brendan, grabbing Wally and rushing out the door.

Red turned to May, sending her a look that asked, _"What's his deal?"_

"I have no idea..." sighed May, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess he's always been a little weir-"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" May and Red looked at each other, both of them recognizing the voice as Ash's. He sounded absolutely livid. "RIGHT WHEN I THOUGHT THIS DAY COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE, YOU PULL THIS SHIT?! FUCK YOU, SERENA!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" cried what sounded like Serena.

"That doesn't sound good!" exclaimed May. "Come on, Red!"

The two ran upstairs, heading towards Ash and Red's room. As soon as they opened the door, the gasped. Serena was hiding under the covers of Red's bed, absolutely terrified of the young man across the room. Ash was hunched over something, and he was growling as if he were about to transform into a werewolf. He then turned to Red and May, his eyes practically bloodshot with rage. Noticing that they wanted to see what he was hunched over, Ash stepped out of the way. It was his beloved computer; with over half a bottle of Diet Coca-Cola spilled on it.

"THIS IS ALL BRENDAN'S FAULT! IF HE AND WALBERT OR WHATEVER HIS NAME IS DIDN'T COME, SERENA WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN UP HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!" roared Ash, to no one in particular. "THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY FREAKING LIFE! I NEVER WANT TO SEE THAT WHITE-HAIRED PRICK AGAIN!"

"His hair isn't white," squeaked May quietly. "It's just a hat-"

"LOOK AROUND. DO YOU SEE ANY FUCKS?" asked Ash, spreading his arms. "NO? THAT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE I GIVE NONE! HE'S NOT ALLOWED IN THIS HOUSE EVER AGAIN, WHITE HAT OR NO WHITE HAT!"

* * *

"So Brendan..." spoke Wally, looking down at Pallet Town. The two of them standing on the same hill that they were earlier in the day.

"Yeah?"

"How do you think the visit went?"

"Hmmm..." hummed Brendan, thinking about it. On the downside, he'd learned that May had a boyfriend. But on the bright side, he hadn't been attacked by Red, he got to see May again, and it seemed to him like Ash was going to be a great person to hang out with in the future. "Pretty good, I think. I think Ash and I got along really well!"

"I think it went well too." agreed Wally, nodding his head. "You see, I told you there was nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you were right. I can't wait to visit again!"

* * *

**Okay, that's that. On to the hint for the next one-shot!**

**Hint:**

**...**

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Serperior, counter with Razor Leaf!"

...

**See ya next time,**

**~DarkSlash9**


	19. Questions

**Oh man, it feels good to be back to 100%. But first, I have shitloads upon shitloads of explaining to do. I am sorry for taking several months to update this story, and to those of you who follow my other story, I am sorry for the slow nature of my updates in general. I've been pretty vague on why I've been having issues updating and writing, so I'll just say it flat out. I've been going through an unholy amount of issues with family and friends, which has resulted in me going to a therapist once a week. In that time, I didn't really feel like writing. I also was pretty busy, but still, even when I did have time, it was hard to write. But finally, everything is pretty much back to normal. I thank you all for your patience! Love you all!**

**Anyway, regarding this story... Well, I've decided to split the finale into two parts. When I outlined it, I didn't realize it'd be as lengthy as it's turned out to be, so I've decided to stop at a certain point, call it a chapter, and finish the rest as the true final chapter. I think I cut it off at a pretty reasonable place though.**

**There is a** **SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**** in the Author's Note at the end of this chapter, so be sure to ****read that****.**

**Q&amp;A**

AmericanBoy2016

Will we ever see Haxs again in this story?

**I didn't plan on it, but since he's got such a small role in this story, I could probably squeeze in a fun little scene with him next chapter.**

**Okayyy, enjoy!**

* * *

**Finale: Part 1  
**

Questions

* * *

"Mr. Ketchum, phone for you."

The young girl peered at the desk in the center of the room, the owner of it sitting in a chair that's back was currently turned to the intern, giving him a perfect view of the skyline his window provided. At the sound of the girl's voice, the 25 year-old man slowly turned in his chair, now facing the girl. He may have been 4 years older than the assistant, but he looked about the same age as her. His frame was lean, and it was tightly hugged by a fitted gray suit with jacket that was left unbuttoned, revealing the white shirt and simple red tie underneath. His hands were interlocked, his wrist decorated with a shiny silver watch. He looked professional from the neck down, but his head... was a different story. His hair was as unkempt as ever, and although his face was currently straight, there was something about it that gave off an intelligent but friendly vibe. This young man was Ash Ketchum, director and executive producer of the Pokemon games series, as well as C.E.O. of Game Freak.

"Who is it?" he asked. But before his assistant could answer, he put up a hand. "Let me guess, it's Serena." The intern nodded and Ash sighed. "Alright, tell her I'll be with her in a minute."

"Yes, Mr. Ketchum." said the intern, scurrying out of the room.

Alone once again, Ash spun his chair back towards his large window, taking one last gaze at the Saffron City skyline. He knew what Serena wanted to talk about, and he dreaded the conversation. But at the same time, it was a conversation that needed to be had, since the topic was something that Ash desperately needed help with.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, sighed, and put it back in.

"Here we go..." he muttered, getting out of his chair.

Having grown even taller since college, the young game designer was a towering 6 feet and 4 inches. His head wasn't touching the ceiling quite yet, but out of caution, he did have to duck slightly when going through some doorways. But on this day, his mind was so full of different thoughts that he forgot to duck, and was rewarded with a painful collision with the edge of his office's doorway. Swearing a few curses under his breath, Ash made his way to the video phone, which was just down the hall. He sat on the chair in front of it, turned on the screen, revealing a familiar face. She hadn't changed much since college, the only differences being a slightly curvier frame and shorter hair. Her cyan eyes stared right at Ash, her mouth forming a friendly smile.

"Well hello there, Mr. Champion." greeted Serena, putting emphasis on the word 'champion'.

"We already went over this Serena, I'm not the official Champion. You're not supposed to call me that." said Ash, rubbing the spot where he had hit his head.

"You beat the Johto Elite Four, as well as their Champion, right?" asked Serena.

"Yes..." answered Ash, rolling his eyes.

"Then that should be enough for me to call you Champion."

"Thing is, I'm not the Johto League Champion. I turned down the title because being Johto's Champion would get in the way of my _real _job here at Game Freak. I literally only participated in the Johto League so I could gather information about the pokemon there and the region as a whole for Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. I didn't expect or plan on going all the way through their league."

"Oh whatever, most of the public refers to you as Johto's Champion, and you're not going to change their minds."

"Whatever Serena," snapped Ash, running a hand through his hair. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure, let's talk about what I called you for." said Serena, her face suddenly becoming a little more serious. "Red told me that you bought an expensive piece of jewelry the other day. A ring to be exact."

"Yes..." said Ash nervously, touching the lump in his pocket.

"Well... All I have to say is that it's about time you proposed!" said Serena cheerfully. "You've kept May waiting way too long in my opinion. Red and I have been married for 18 months and are expecting our first child in 7 months, while you and May are still just 'boyfriend and girlfriend'."

"There's nothing wrong with the fact that May and I aren't married yet." said Ash defensively. "You and Red just happened to get it done first, since your lives aren't as hectic as ours. May and I have just been too busy to tie the knot. For the past year, it felt like Silph Co. was working me to death. Halfway through production of Pokemon Gold and Silver, they were already talking about making games based on Hoenn and Sinnoh as well. I was so goddamn busy, and I really didn't have time for anything. And then there was May, who, as you already know, decided to become a Pokemon Coordinator. With all the time she spent at those coordinating classes, she was swamped too. But now, both our schedules have loosened up, and it's the perfect time to get married. May's done with the coordinating school, and Pokemon Crystal has just finished development. I'm set to travel to Hoenn in 6 months. My plan is to propose to May, and use my trip to Hoenn as our honeymoon. It'll be perfect because May will be able to try out the contests there, while I'll participate in the Hoenn League and gather information about the pokemon there."

"Sounds good. How are you going to propose?"

There it was, Ash's problem. His demeanor immediately changed after Serena's question, his shoulders slumping and a lousy frown appearing on his face.

"I have no idea."

"What do you mean you have no idea?" asked Serena, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't think of anything." answered Ash truthfully. "Everything I think of seems like it's either already been done or cliche. I want it to be something unique, something that'll be a cool story to tell, but I'm stumped."

"Ash, just because a proposal's already been done doesn't make it bad. There are billions of people on this planet. No matter what you think of, in the end, its probably already been done somewhere in the world. Though at the same time, I understand that you want to make it unique. Taking her out to dinner and asking her afterwards is definitely not an option... How about asking her in the hallways of our high school? Around the spot where you bumped into us for the first time?"

"I thought of that, but it doesn't seem deep enough." sighed Ash.

"Alright... how about-"

"Hold on Serena, I'm getting a call." said Ash, reaching into his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and quickly picked up. "Hello?"

"Ash?" asked the voice on the phone.

"Yeah?" answered Ash. "Whatever this is about, I'm gonna have to ask you to make it quick. I'm kinda in the middle of something, Tracey."

"I just wanted to tell you... that you should probably check your e-mail."

"My e-mail?" asked Ash, tilting his head. "Why?"

"Well... Actually, no, I'm not going to explain it. It's better if you just see it yourself."

"Whatever this is, how do you even know about it if it's in _my _e-mail?" asked Ash, eyes narrowing.

"It's on the news." answered Tracey simply. "I'm serious Ash, check your e-mail, pronto."

"Alright, I will." answered Ash. "I'll see you later, Tracey."

"Bye."

Ash hung up the phone.

"What was _that _about?" asked Serena, startling Ash.

"Oh, Serena. Somehow I forgot that you were there..." mumbled Ash. "Anyway, it seems there's some really important e-mail that I have to read."

"How important?"

"It's on the news, apparently."

"Well open it then." said Serena. "I'll wait."

"Okay."

Ash shifted his attention back to his cell phone, sliding to his e-mail app. He opened it, and hidden in the mass of junk mail and advertisements was an e-mail from an e-mail address that he had never seen before. The subject of the e-mail was only 2 words; "It's time.". Ash shrugged and opened the mail, reading the contents. His eyes gradually widened more and more as he read through the message. When he finished, he looked up from his phone and into the distance, taking a deep breath.

"Oh shit." he uttered, though he sounded more excited than upset.

"What is it?" asked Serena. "Am I allowed to know?"

"Yeah, it's not a secret or anything. It's a challenge to an exhibition battle... from Unova's Champion." said Ash with an excited glint in his eye. "Want me to read it to you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, here goes." said Ash, clearing his throat.

_"Greetings, Ketchum. It's been a while, about 9 years if I remember correctly. The purpose of this message is to invit- no, **challenge** you to a friendly, exhibition battle in Celadon City. I am aware of your recent success in the Johto League, and as soon as I learned you beat the Champion there, I knew that I had to battle you again. The reason why I'm sending you this challenge now, several months after your victory, was because I've spent the past few months training for our battle, only wanting to challenge you when I knew my pokemon were strong enough to defeat yours. I doubt you've been keeping up with Unova's league, so I'll fill you in on the one fact that you need to know. I'm Unova's current Champion, and I have been for the past 2 years. Though you turned down the title of Champion, you are still considered by the Pokemon League as a Champion Class trainer, so our battle will be seen as a battle between two Champions. It will be 6 on 6, with no substitutions. It will take place in exactly fourteen days, at high noon, in the Triple C (Celadon City Colosseum). I hope you're ready, because it's time for our long-awaited rematch. And trust me... Serperior and I don't plan on losing to you and your Pikachu again.  
_

_I hope you're prepared,_

_-Trip." _

"Oh wow..." said Serena. "Ash... what are you gonna do?"

"Well duh, I'm accepting his challenge." replied Ash. "If he wants to lose again, so be it. The only difference is that this time, he's chosen to lose in front of a crowd of 50,000 people instead of a class of 32 teenagers."

"So this is the same Trip from high school then... I don't remember you battling him. When did it happen?" asked Serena.

"The second day of Junior Year." replied Ash, thinking back. "It was Battle Day in May and I's Pokemon Advanced class, and May was assigned to battle Trip. She lost, and then I stepped in and beat him. Actually, now that I think of it, that's how May and I became real friends. After beating Trip, she invited me out for ice-cream, and we got to know each other on our way to the ice-cream restaurant."

"That's it!" exclaimed Serena.

"What?"

"Propose to May after beating Trip!" said Serena. "You became friends after beating him, so wouldn't it be cool if you proposed after beating him? You can use Trip's failure as a prop in your proposal!"

"Hmm..." hummed Ash. "Actually, that's not too bad of an idea. Though if I lose to Trip, the plan will be ruined..."

"Oh please, you'll beat him." assured Serena. "As long as you battle like you usually do, it should be a breeze. Come on Ash, this is the perfect idea!"

"Yeah, I guess. But still... It's not a plan that I should focus all of my energy on. There's always the chance that Trip could beat me, no matter how good I am. I still need a back-up plan, but we'll talk about that another day. He gave me two weeks... That's the perfect amount of time to prepare."

"Prepare for what, the battle?"

"No, to prepare to propose. I can't just wake up the morning of and be like, 'Yep, I'm proposing today!', I have to thoroughly think everything out, make sure that everything is perfect, and make sure that I eliminate all chances of me screwing up."

"How on earth could you possibly screw up? You're literally just getting down on a knee, opening a box, and asking her a question."

"With me, anything's possible." sighed Ash. "That's why I need to make sure all the bases are covered. Will you and Red be able to come to the battle?"

Serena thought for a second, and then sent Ash a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry Ash, but I really don't think we'll be able to." she said sadly. "Red and I are still here in Sinnoh, and the World Tournament is scheduled to end in 3 weeks. If Red's team is eliminated before your battle, then we'll do everything in our power to get back to Kanto as soon as possible. But the way things are going..."

"It's okay, I get it." said Ash with a grin. Ever since Red had been recruited into Vermillion Gold, one of the world's most popular professional soccer clubs, he and Serena had gotten used to moving around quite often. Serena went to every one of Red's games, no matter how far away they were, supported her husband of 8 months in every way she could. But of course, this meant that the couple was often unable to attend events that they were invited to. "Red's team is crushing the competition?"

"I wouldn't say crushing, but they're definitely one of the best here." giggled Serena. "The only other clubs here that are anywhere near as good are Real Shalour and Ecruteak United."

"Hmm... I see. When's their next match? Maybe May and I will be able to watch it." asked Ash.

"In about..." Serena looked at a pink watch on her wrist. "3 hours. But he's already at the stadium though."

"Alone? Doing what?"

"I don't know, but he does it before every match. He calls it 'getting ready'."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Getting ready...?"

* * *

The stadium was empty, the thousands of seats unclaimed. The soccer field was void of any life, except for a lone 25 year-old sitting in the center of the field, legs crossed and hands on his knees. His black hair, which was in desperate need of being trimmed to a shorter length, was barely contained by his hat, some bangs covering his closed eyes. He was meditating, imagining the game that was to begin in just 3 hours. No, it was more than a game; It was a battle. He was preparing for the _battle _that was to begin in just 3 hours. His imagination working on overdrive, images of the robust ferocity of the sport he loved flashed in his mind, causing a rush of adrenaline. His well-defined muscles tensed, and eyebrows furrowed.

Dodge.

Pass.

Run.

Receive.

Run.

Kick.

Goal.

Suddenly, the man's hazel eyes opened. He quickly stood, and dashed towards the lone ball that he had brought with him, his feet capturing the black and white sphere with unmatched finesse. As he sprinted towards the unguarded net at the end of the field, imaginary foes approached from every corner, ready to steal his glory, his treasure. Determined to keep the ball from the thieves, he twisted and turned, his feet never abandoning ball. One by one, the enemies fell to his graceful movements, some even tripping over their own feet.

There was no time to celebrate, however. There was one more task to be completed. the goal may have seemed empty, but it wasn't, at least not to this warrior of the soccer field. He saw more than one keeper guarding the goal; he saw 20, all standing firm, ready for any attack he may try. His eyes locked on a single spot, one that was foolishly left unguarded by the seemingly impenetrable wall of imaginary goalkeepers. He began his approach, waiting for the right moment to strike. He couldn't unleash his fury too early, nor could he do it too late. The moment had to be perfect.

3...

2...

1...

With the strength of a proud Tauros, Red Ketchum's foot collided with the ball, sending the black and white object whizzing towards the goal. The sphere crashed right into the net, hitting the exact spot he had envisioned. Red sighed in relief and walked towards the goal, the battle won. He picked up the ball and returned to the center of the field, sitting in the exact same spot that he was sitting in before. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, starting the routine over.

* * *

"Yeah, getting ready. He likes to do it alone, he doesn't even let _me_ watch. It's probably something overly dramatic and highly unnecessary." said Serena nonchalantly. "Anyway, the team they're playing today isn't very good, so you won't be missing much if you don't get the chance to watch the game."

"No, we'll watch it." said Ash with determination. "I'm going home in about an hour anyway. May's already waiting for me there."

"You're going home? How can you be leaving work already? it's only a few minutes past noon."

"I don't have a schedule. Technically, I'm free to leave here whenever I want. But usually I'm too busy to leave any earlier than 5 o'clock. But I've got time today, so I'll be leaving soon. Just gotta get a few things done..."

"Okay, then I'll leave you to your work then. When you get home, tell May I'll call her tomorrow."

"I will." said Ash with a nod. "Bye Serena, thanks for the proposal help."

"You're welcome. Seeya!"

Serena's face vanished from the screen, leaving Ash his own reflection off the black screen to stare at. Out of habit, he leaned back into the chair he was sitting on, expecting his back to come into contact with the soft surface of his usual desk chair. However, that wasn't what happened. Unlike the chair in Ash's office, the chair for the video phone had no backrest. Ash fell off the chair, the action accompanied by a deep yelp. All the workers around simply shook their heads and sighed; sometimes it was hard for them to believe that such a clumsy guy was their boss.

Ash shakily stood, ignoring the sideways glances from his employees. As he walked back to his office to finish up his remaining paperwork, only two things were on his mind: His upcoming battle with Trip, and proposing to the love of his life. Since he had _sort of _worked out an idea for the proposal with Serena, he decided to spend the next few minutes thinking about the battle. Making sure to duck this time, he walked through the doorway of his office. He sat in his seat, grabbed his pen, and began signing the overwhelming amount of papers spread across his desk.

"Battling Trip..." he thought aloud, still writing his signature on documents. "Will be interesting."

He stayed silent for the next few minutes, finishing his paperwork. As soon as he had written his signature on the last piece of paper, he spun his chair slightly to the left, turning his body towards his computer. He logged in and opened a web browser.

During his Johto journeys, Ash didn't put lots of effort into learning about what pokemon his upcoming opponents used. He stayed confident in his own skills, believing that as long as they kept their cool, he and his pokemon could overcome any challenge that came their way. But for some reason - perhaps the fact that he wanted to propose to May after his victory (?) - he felt that he should look up Trip's status online.

His fingers whizzed across the keyboard, his eyes never leaving the screen. It didn't take long for him to find Trip's page on Wikipedia, the title "Unova Champion" written under his name.

"Hm... battles systematically... calm demeanor..." muttered Ash, skimming the paragraphs on the screen. "Powerful pokemon...? Hm, let's see his pokemon then."

Ash scrolled down to the section containing info on Trip's pokemon. His eyes narrowed at he read. Besides Serperior, he didn't recognize any of them. Their types, however, were listed beside their names, eliminating the need for Ash to recognize them.

"Conkeldurr... Jellicent... Unfezant... Chandelure... and... _Vanilluxe?_"

Intrigued by the interesting name, Ash clicked on it. A picture of the pokemon came up, and Ash's eyes widened. "That's literally a fucking double-scoop ice-cream cone with two faces."

Having decided he'd seen enough, Ash turned his computer off. He planned on using the same team he conquered the Johto League with: Pikachu, Charizard, Pidgeot, Snorlax, Feraligatr, and Meganium. They were a balanced, powerful team, and he knew every single one of them had the strength, heart, and tenacity to win against Trip. He could already see each of them triumph over each of Trip's pokemon. Of course, the wins weren't going to come as easy as he was imagining them, but still, he knew his pokemon were more than equipped to win.

"Trip, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into..." muttered Ash with a competitive grin, turning to a new stack of papers that had just been dropped off by his secretary. "Sarah, is this the last batch?"

"Yes, Mr. Ketchum." answered the girl as she left the office.

"Nice." replied the young C.E.O., beginning to work on the papers. "Once these are done, I can go home and see May... I wonder what she's doing right now..."

* * *

"I wonder what Ash is doing right now..." muttered a 25 year-old brunette, her sapphire eyes staring at the clear skies above. Much like her entire body, her long brown hair was spread across the grass, shining in the Sun's light. Laying in the backyard; she found herself doing this quite often as of late. It was her favorite pass-time whenever her 'boyfriend' was away at work. "Maybe I should call him..."

"Pika." said the yellow mouse next to her, nodding its head.

"But he's always busy whenever I call him..." complained May, sitting up. "He's probably not going to be fully invested in the conversation."

"Chuuu..." agreed Pikachu, his ears flopping down to his sides.

May sighed and laid back down, resuming her staring contest with the sky. She still loved Ash, and she knew he still loved her. But she couldn't deny that part of her wasn't all too satisfied with the current condition of their relationship. For the past year, Ash's long list of responsibilities had slowly been pulling him away from everything else in his life, including May, his one and only girlfriend.

_"Girlfriend..."_ she thought, a dissatisfied feeling surging through her mind. _"It's been 9 years... we've been together for 9 whole years... It's just... it's just ridiculous that **girlfriend** is the best thing he can call me... we love each other, we've been lovers for years, heck, we even LIVE together, in our own HOUSE... We always used to compete with Red and Serena for which couple was better, but right now, it's all too obvious that Red and Serena are on the winning side. They're married, and we're... not."  
_

These thoughts weren't new to May. The topic crossed her mind daily. She wanted so much more in her relationship with Ash. She didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore, she wanted to be his wife, the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with. She wanted to walk down the aisle in a white dress, she wanted to hear a preacher prompt Ash to kiss her, she wanted to throw the bouquet into a crowd of single friends and family members below her... but most of all, she wanted to start a family. She knew that Ash was the only one in the world who she wanted to experience these things with, but at the same time, she knew that being patient was never her specialty.

_"Maybe... maybe I should talk to him about it. There's no harm in being real with him, is there?" _she thought, reaching into her pocket. _"Yeah, actually, I should be able to voice my opinion on this subject. I'm sure he's thought about it too, how can he not have? Red and Serena are married, and until Red proposed, their relationship had more or less run parallel with ours. But here's the thing... should I call him now, or just talk to him when he gets home? If I call him now, he wont be paying his full attention because of his work. But if I do it when he gets home tonight, he'll be exhausted, and I want him to be fully awake for this conversation."  
_

Suddenly, May felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. There was a picture of Ash in a tux, smiling at the camera. She remembered when the photo was taken: Red and Serena's wedding. Of course, Ash was the Best Man, while May was the Maid of Honor. May had been so sure that day that Ash was going to propose soon after... But alas, that was 18 months ago.

"Speak of the devil." mumbled May, pressing the 'accept' button. "Hello?"

"Hi there." greeted Ash.

May hesitated. Ash sounded like he was in a really good mood, something May had rarely heard in her previous conversations with Ash while he was at work.

"So... what's up?" asked May warily, unsure of why Ash was so chipper.

"Guess who's leaving work and coming home to a beautiful woman as we speak?" he asked, the sound of an engine roaring to life in the background. "This guy!"

"Really?" asked May, eyes widening slightly. "But it's only like, 12:45!"

"I know! Work has been getting easier and easier each day, and finally the workload is light enough for me to come home much earlier than usual!"

"That's awesome!" cheered May, genuinely happy to hear the news.

"I have some other news as well." added Ash, his tone changing slightly. It was still a happy tone, but it seemed to be a different type of joy than before.

"Other news...?"

"Yes, other news." repeated Ash. "I've been challenged to a battle!"

"A battle? By wh-"

"Trip." stated Ash, accidentally cutting May off in his excitement. "Trip from high school!"

"Trip..." repeated May, trying to remember the face connected to the name. She hadn't even thought of him since their high school graduation, and that was 8 years ago. But after a few seconds of thought, she was able to remember the dirty blonde. "Oh yeahhhhh... wait, _HE_ wants a rematch?! Is he aware of how good you are now? I mean, you were already super-good when you served him a hefty bowl of Ass-Whoopin' Stew on a silver platter during Battle Day all those years ago, but now... man oh man, you're on a completely different plane of existence now! Does he even know that you're a Champion Class trainer?"

"Yes, he does," began Ash, an excited smirk spreading across his face. "And so is he."

"WHAT?!" shrieked May, almost dropping the phone. "You've got to be lying! WHEN?! HOW?! WHERE?! WHY?!"

"Nope, not lying. He's the Champion of Unova, and he says he and his pokemon are ready to defeat me. Oh me oh my, what _ever _will I do?"

"Kick his butt, that's what!" exclaimed May. "I don't know how a total loser like him became a Champion, but it's okay because you'll just put him in his place again."

"My plan exactly." replied Ash, glancing at his rear-view mirror. An Officer Jenny was approaching in the lane to his left. He immediately frowned, swearing under his breath. "Uh, we'll have to finish the conversation when I get home, May. An Officer Jenny is on my tail, and if she sees me talking on the phone I'll probably get a ticket."

"Okay," replied May hurriedly. "I'll see you when you get home. Drive safely, I love you!"

"Love ya more." replied Ash.

The line went dead, leaving May alone with just Pikachu and her thoughts. In just a short, 2 minute call, May had learned so many things. Ash was coming home early, Trip had become a Champion and had challenged him, and she'd have to postpone the talk that she had planned to have with Ash. Ash's original victory over Trip is what began the couple's friendship, so of course she wanted to see Ash win again. But she also knew that if she spoke with Ash about a topic as serious as marriage, he'd spend all his time thinking about it, instead of preparing both his pokemon and himself for the battle. Waiting til after Ash's battle seemed like the best choice.

"Did you hear that Pikachu?" asked May, turning to the yellow rodent next to her.

Pikachu nodded, a competitive smile on his face. "Pika pika!"

"I bet you're just itching to fight Serperior again, huh?"

"Pi!"

"Well I'm excited too. Watching Ash battle is always fun, especially when his opponent is a tough one. And from what Ash said, Trip will definitely be a tough one."

"Chu pikachu." said Pikachu confidently.

"Don't get too cocky, mister. An attitude like that will make you lose." warned May playfully.

Pikachu looked up at May, a hurt expression on his face.

"I'm just kidding, Pikachu. Chill." giggled May, scratching the area behind the yellow mouse's ears. "Come on, let's go inside and tell the rest of Ash's pokemon. I'm sure they'll be excited too!"

Pikachu wasn't really listening to May at that point. He was too absorbed in the great feeling of May scratching the one place on his body his limbs couldn't reach.

"Chaaaa..." he sighed mindlessly, leaning onto May's lap.

May smiled at the sight, but as quickly as her smile came, it left, being replaced by a frown. She knew Pikachu was the one on her lap, but for the smallest fraction of a second, she had imagined what it would be like if a child was on her lap; her _own _child.

Deciding to give her thoughts a rest for the time being, May stood up with a deep sigh, Pikachu held securely in her arms.

"Pika?" asked Pikachu, noticing the sharp change in the brunette's demeanor.

"It's nothing, Pikachu..." replied May distantly. She began to walk towards the house, her frown, though smaller than before, still on her face. "Nothing at all..."

_20 minutes later..._

The front door slowly opened, a tall male entering the house. As soon as he was indoors, his hands immediately reached for his tie, quickly untying it and throwing it on the floor in triumph.

"May, I'm home!" called Ash as he took off his suit jacket. He looked around, and saw that May wasn't nearby. "Where are you?"

"I'm upstairs! Come up!" echoed May's voice from exactly where she said she was.

"I'm comin'!" answered Ash.

The raven-haired C.E.O. quickly made his way up the stairs, eager to see his soon-to-be fiance. It didn't take long for him to get upstairs, their house being one of average size. Of course with all the money made from the Pokemon franchise, Ash could easily afford a home about 6 times the size of his current one, but neither he nor May were very into unnecessarily extravagant homes, so they settled on a simple one in a simple neighborhood.

"May?" called Ash, looking at the hallway before him. There were 5 doors in the hall, and May was behind one of them. "Where are you exactly?"

"I'm in our room." answered May. Then, there was a slight pause. "Where _else_ would I be?"

"Good point." admitted Ash, opening the door to his and May's room. As soon as he entered the room, he noticed a couple things. The lights in the room were off, and the curtains were shut, preventing sunlight from entering. The only light in the room came from the laptop that was on a small desk in the corner of the room. Sitting at the desk was May, who's eyes were glued to the laptop. Ash raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking up Trip and his pokemon." replied May simply, scrolling down the page she was reading. "Holy guacamole, what in Arceus' name is _that?_ That's not a pokemon, that's literally a double scoop of ice-cream with two faces!"

"Keep scrolling, he's also got a fire-breathing chandelier." added Ash with a grin.

"No way..." answered May, scrolling down a little further. Sure enough, an image of Trip's Chandelure showed up. May's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, he does! Oh man, this is hilarious! I can't wait til Ash gets home so I can show him that _this _is his opponent!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Umm, May?"

"Yeah?" she answered, still looking at the laptop screen.

"I _am _home."

May turned around to see Ash's silhouette standing in the doorway. Without any hesitation, she removed one hand from the laptop and brought it up to her face, covering it with her palm.

"I swear, to be totally, fully, 100% completely honest, I have no idea what just happened." she laughed, standing up from her chair.

"Yeah, me neither." chuckled Ash. "Who did you think you were talking to if it wasn't me?"

"I dunno. Like, I knew I was talking to you, but at the same time I was so absorbed in the laptop that I forgot I was talking to _you. _Maybe it's because you're never home this early; I'm not used to talking to you this early in the afternoon."

"I suppose that makes sense." said Ash nonchalantly, approaching May. He pulled her into a hug, a content sigh escaping his lips. "It's good to see you."

"You see me every day...?"

"Like you said, not this early in the afternoon though." replied Ash. "It's so nice to finally have free time on my hands again. I can't say for sure I'll be home this early every day, but definitely at least 2 or 3 times a week."

"That's awesome!" replied May, looking up at her significantly taller husband. "Not only does that give you enough time to train for your battle with Trip, it gives you the freedom to spend some _quality_ time with _me._"

"'Quality' time, eh? I'll be looking forward to that 'quality' time." said Ash, well aware of the seductive glint in May's eye.

"Perhaps you'd like to engage in some now?" she purred, slowly running her dainty fingers through Ash's hair.

"Well..." replied Ash, resisting the urge to do it right then and there. But of course, it wasn't an easy task. It _had_ been a while since... "Okay, but we can't take too long. We have to watch Red's soccer game in an hour and a half."

"More than enough time." said May with a wink.

...

_1 and a half hours later..._

...

The sound of a roaring crowd sounded from the TV, the image of an emerald green field appearing on the screen. The only person in the room, Ash, lowered the volume of the TV, the crowd's combined cheers a little too loud.

"Much better..." sighed Ash, placing the remote next to him on the couch.

Dressed in just a t-shirt and basketball shorts, the young businessman kicked back and relaxed into the chair. He couldn't help but smile at how comfortable he was. It wasn't often that he was able to get home early, do some intimate activities with May, shower, relax, and watch a soccer game all in one day. Everything was perfect except for the fact that he was the only person present.

"May! Come on, the game's starting!" he called, his eyes glued to the screen.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." replied May, walking down the stairs in an outfit similar to Ash's. Having also taken a shower, her hair was in the awkward stage between damp and dry, some parts neat and others messy. Noticing this, Ash smiled, finding amusement in the state of her hair. May frowned. "What's so funny? You rushed me down here, so of course my hair's gonna look like a Shiftry's!"

"I didn't think it was funny." lied Ash. "I was just smiling at the fact that my wife looks beautiful even when her hair's a mess."

"..."

It took Ash a few moments to realize why May was experiencing a few seconds of speechlessness after his words. But as soon as he realized, Ash felt like grabbing his Charizard, flying over to Lumiose City, and jumping off Prism Tower into a vat of Sharpedoes and Carvanhas. He had just called May his wife, which (in his opinion) effectively ruined his element of surprise regarding his proposal. Even though he didn't plan on doing it for another two weeks.

"Oh, well, um," stammered May, trying to play off the fact that Ash had called her his wife. "you lie like a.. a, er, really bad liar. You were laughing at my hair, not admiring my beauty."

"Y-yeah, I was laughing. Sorry." apologized Ash, his face a vibrant shade of crimson. "So anyway, we should totally watch Red's soccer game now. Oh look, they're about to play the regional anthems."

May sat down next to Ash and looked at the screen, and sure enough, both Red's team and the opposing team were lined up, and the crowd in the stadium was slowly getting quieter and quieter.

"It is at this time that we ask that all rise for the regional anthem of Kanto." echoed a voice across the stadium.

The camera slowly zoomed in on Red's team, them being the only team of the two teams on the field from Kanto. When the stadium was finally as silent as could be, the music began to play.

_*really intense guitar, drum, and piano sounds start to play*_

All the members of Vermillion Gold raised their eyebrows and looked at one-another. It didn't sound like the regional anthem at all. It was much more action-y, much more... awesome.

_"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever wassss... To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cauuuus-"_

The music was sharply cut off, leaving an awkward silence to fill the stadium.

"Um, we are experiencing some technical difficulties." echoed the same voice from earlier. There was another silence, and this one, like the first, was broken by the voice. "Due to the previously mentioned technical difficulties... the game will have a 5 minute delayed start. Our deepest, sincerest apologies..."

_2 hours later..._

"Oh shit, this is going to be close." muttered Ash, his body tense. There was only 4 minutes left in the game, and both teams were tied 1-1. A member of Red's team had scored a goal from a penalty kick, and a member of the opposing team managed to catch Vermillion Gold's goalkeeper off-guard and score. As Ash glanced at the score, he lightly bit his lip in anxiety. "What the hell, Serena told me these guys weren't very good."

"You talked to Serena today?" asked May, here eyes still on the TV screen. "What'd you talk about?"

"Meh, not much." lied Ash. "I just wanted to know if she and Red could make it to my battle. They can't, but they'll watch it on TV."

"Ah." answered May. Right as she answered, someone on Vermillion Gold passed Red the ball. "Oh! Red's got it! This is his chance! COME ON, RED! KNOCK THEIR SOCKS OFF!"

"This really is his only chance." observed Ash. "The team he's playing against has a really good defense. There's only 1 and half minutes left. Red's probably not going to get the ball again, so if he doesn't score now, they'll probably have to go into additional time..."

"Shhhh..." hushed May. "Red needs his focus."

"1) He can't hear us, and 2) He's in a stadium _filled_ with people and noise."

"Shh! Here he goes!"

With the ball perfectly in between his feet, Red began his drive towards the goal. He looked ahead, and much to his satisfaction, he knew exactly how to get through his opponents' defensive setup. It was one of the many imaginary formations he'd battled in his pre-game meditation. With unshakable confidence, he weaved and bobbed through his foes, making their defenses look like mere plastic bags trying to halt a hurricane.

"And look at Red Ketchum go! This is no basketball game, but moves like that can only be described as crossing up!" roared Steve, one of the two commentators.

"BROKEN ANKLES, STEVE, BROKEN ANKLES EVERYWHERE!" agreed Zebediah, the other commentator.

Seeing the rising soccer star break through his teammates defenses shook the opposing team's goalkeeper to the core, as he had never seen such an action done with such apparent ease. The goalkeeper braced himself, preparing his mind, body, and soul for the his next task: stopping Red Ketchum from scoring a goal.

"Here he goes!" shrieked May, grabbing Ash's hand tightly. "I can't look!"

Red sprinted towards the goal, waiting for the exact moment to strike. Finally, when the time was right, he looked at the top left corner of the goal. Noticing Red's focus on that specific area, the goalkeeper prepared to lunge to the left...

He was thoroughly surprised when Red kicked the ball towards the _bottom __right corner _of the goal. The ball, having never left the ground, rolled into the goalkeeper's domain, and as soon as it touched the net, a point was added to Vermillion Gold's score, giving them the lead, with only 20 seconds left. While the goalkeeper buried his face in the grass, Red immediately began his sprint across the field, waving his arms as if he were flying. The crows erupted into cheer, and both teams watched as the clock rang 90 minutes, ending the game.

"And there you have it folks!" roared Zebediah. "Red Ketchum does it again! He's only been on the professional soccer scene for 2 years and he's already a household name, scoring game-winning goals like it's his job!"

"But it kinda is his job, isn't it?" asked Steve.

"Yeah whatever, Steve!" snapped Zebediah. "But aside from his amazing goals, the thing I love about Red Ketchum the most is his dedication to not only this sport, but his family!"

"I agree 183%, Zebediah! Just look at him now! The game's over and the first person he runs to is not a camera man, his teammates, not even his coach! Every game, the person he runs to is his beauty of a wife!"

The camera focused on Red, who, sure enough, was currently hugging Serena. As soon as the hug was over they engaged in a kiss, but it was cut short when Red's teammates forcefully pulled him away to celebrate their win.

"I tell ya Steve, you don't see many wives like Red Ketchum's. Serena Ketchum is not only beautiful, but she's devoted too! I haven't seen one game where she wasn't on the sidelines, watching the game like a hawk!"

"Fun Fact about this couple: They both have twin siblings who are also together!"

As soon as Ash heard that line from the commentators, he subconsciously let out a sigh.

"Do they?" asked Zebediah.

"They do, and Red Ketchum may be a rising soccer star, but his brother's quite talented too! He's the C.E.O. of GameFreak, the company behind the popular Pokemon games! And Serena's sister is just as stunning as she is! Word is they were all high school sweethearts!"

"Interesting! I hope Red and Serena's siblings' bond is as strong as theirs, because what we see here after every game can only be described as a match made in heaven! But enough about Red Ketchum's wife and family, it's time to analyze just what happened on that final goal! It seemed like Red Ketchum had lead the enemy goalkeeper to believe tha-"

The word "MUTE" appeared on the bottom corner of the TV. Ash slowly put down the remote. It seemed like right when he had finally decided to propose, the universe chose to start ruining things. While he could blame no one but himself for accidentally calling May his wife earlier, he had the commentators to blame for their words. Though it was impossible, he wished he had muted the commentators in real life too, silencing them for all of eternity.

"Ash..." said May slowly. "Why did you mute the TV?"

"Huh- Oh! Well, er, the game's over right? No need to listen to the commentators talk about... things other than soccer, right?"

"But they were about to talk about how Red scored that goal." observed May. "They _were _talking about soccer."

"They were, weren't they?" agreed Ash, ending his sentence with an awkward laugh. "Well then I guess I should un-mute the TV."

Still awkwardly chuckling, Ash grabbed the remote, but before he could lift it and turn the volume on the TV back on, May grabbed his hand.

"Ash... you alright?" she asked, looking straight into his eyes. "You're acting funny."

"Me? Nah! I'm totally fine. Y'know what? I think I'm gonna go train my pokemon now. They haven't battled in a while and they'll need to be at 100% when I battle Trip. And what are we eating for dinner tonight? I'm staaaaarving. It'd be _so _awesome if you could start making dinner now. While you do that I'll just get some quick training in, and after that, I'll join you in the kitchen and help set up the table. Okay?"

"Oka-"

"FAN_tastic_!" exclaimed Ash, quickly exiting the room. As soon as he was out of the living room, he leaned against a wall and exhaled. "How the hell... am I gonna get through_ two weeks_ of this?"

...

* * *

_13 days later..._

"Hi, I'm Roger Rogerson."

"And I'm Tina Tinaton."

"And this is Channel 2 News at 6:00pm." said both anchors.

"Tomorrow's the day folks!" started Roger, rubbing his hands together. "For the past two weeks we've been waiting! Tomorrow, at the Triple C, will be an exhibition match between Trip Shooty, The Unova League Champ, and Ash Ketchum, victor of the Johto League!"

"We would say that both trainers have been working hard in preparation for what many are calling "The Battle of the Decade", but we ourselves aren't too sure!" said Tina with a bright smile. "While Mr. Shooty has been very public with his training, we have not heard or seen a single public display of strength or _anything _from Ash Ketchum! Many say this is due to his other responsibilities regarding his field of work, and an equal amount of people say he's just keeping his cards hidden until the moment he's gotta play them!"

"We've taken a poll this past week. We asked average people in average places who they're rooting for, as well as who they thought would win. The results are in!" exclaimed Roger.

"As for who everyone's cheering for, it seems that overall, 58% of people we asked are cheering for Shooty, while 42% are cheering for Ketchum. As for who they think will win, the public truly has spoken. A stunning 73% think Shooty will take the win, while only 27% are placing their bets on Ketchum!"

"Only time will tell if who was righ-"

The TV was abruptly turned off.

"Well," sighed Ash. "It seems we'll have to prove a substantial amount of people wrong tomorrow, hm guys?"

A chorus of roars and battle cries were heard from the team of pokemon he had chosen to battle Trip with. It was a team composed of his best pokemon, hardcore battlers without a doubt. If anyone could take down Trip, it was them. With a calm nod, Ash returned them to their pokeballs, save for Pikachu, who was perched on his shoulder.

"Tomorrow's the big day..." said Ash quietly, petting Pikachu's head.

"Pikachu pika!"

"I'm not talking about the battle, Pikachu. To be honest, in comparison to what else I have planned for tomorrow, the battle isn't that big of a thing..."

"Chu... Pika pika!"

"Yeah," replied Ash, scratching his head. "As long as I keep a level head, I can do it."

"Ash!" cried a voice. It came from the kitchen, and it sounded all sorts of afraid. "Ash, come quick!"

Not even wasting time in answering, Ash quickly jogged towards the kitchen, fearing the worst. It sounded like May was in some sort of trouble, dangerous trouble. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he scanned the room for any dangers; fires, assassins, news reporters... but instead he found May standing in the center of the room, a smile on her face.

"What..."

"I have a surprise for you!" chirped May cheerfully.

"But you made it sound lik-"

"Hold on while I get it!"

May left the kitchen as quickly as Ash entered it. Both equally confused, Ash and Pikachu looked at each other, neither aware of what exactly was going on. Fortunately, it didn't take long for May to return. When she did, Ash's eyes widened a little. In her hands was a medium-sized cake with white icing, pink decorations, and strawberries. There seemed to be words written on it, but May wasn't close enough for Ash to read them.

"I made you a good luck cake for tomorrow!" said May, walking closer to Ash.

"You made it yourself?" asked Ash, astonished. Unlike Serena, baking wasn't May's favorite cooking method. "Thanks!"

"Read what it says!" ordered May.

Ash took a closer look at the cake, trying to read the frosting-words on it. It was then that he could really tell that May made the cake.

"Good luck tommorow, Ash! xoxoxo." read Ash aloud. There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "May... you spelled 'tomorrow' wrong."

"Oh wow, I care _so_ much. I guess I should just throw it out, since quality of the cake is so _obviously_ tarnished by my poor spelling ski- shut up and eat the darn cake, Ash."

"I can't eat this whole thing by myself..." said Ash, sitting down at the dinner table. "It's too much for one sitting."

"Then eat some now, and save some for later."

"Come on... let's just share it."

"But I made it for _you."_

"And I've decided to share it."

"Well I won't eat it!"

"Oh yes," said Ash, cutting out a piece of the cake and putting it on a plate. "You will."

"You can't make me!"

Ash picked up some cake with his fork and slowly approached May, a playful smirk on his face. "Ready or not, here I come."

"You'll never take me alive!" hollered May, dashing out of the kitchen, into the living room.

Ash followed her, making sure to keep the cake on his fork. It proved to be quite the challenge, as there were many times where he almost dropped a few crumbs. After 20 seconds of running circles around the living room, Ash was finally close enough to catch May... or at least grab one of her hands with his free hand. It was a gamble, but he decided to go for it. He was indeed able to grab her hand... but at the cost of losing his balance. He began to fall forward, inevitably taking May down with him. Luckily, this happened in front of a couch, giving them a safe, soft surface to land on. The couple landed on each other, both startled by the fall. The shock, however, was quickly replaced with laughter.

"Ash," giggled May. "get off of me!"

"Eat some cake first." ordered Ash coolly, lifting his hand to reveal that even through their fall, the cake on the fork remained intact. "Then I'll get off."

"Fine, I'll eat the cake!" she sighed. "You win."

"Say 'ahhhh'."

"Ahhhhhh..." sang May as she opened her mouth. Ash inserted the fork, but halfway through, May took a bite, not wanting to eat the entire piece. As soon as the baked treat made contact with her tongue, her eyes opened. "GAAHAHAHAAARRHHHDAWAAAA-"

"What the-"

"What the hell did I put in this?!" screamed May. "It tastes like... LIKE... I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT TASTES LIKE!"

"Oh it can't be that bad." reasoned Ash, eying the remaining cake on the fork. He pointed the utensil towards his own mouth, planning on trying it himself. "Here, let me try i-"

"NO!" shrieked May, yanking the fork from Ash's hand. "Don't eat it! Actually, get off me so I can have your Charizard incinerate it! I'm really sorry Ash, but it's awfully awful!"

"I won't get off until you give me the rest of the cake on the fork." said Ash calmly. "I really doubt it's as bad as you're making it soun-"

May shoved the rest of the piece into Ash's mouth with no warning whatsoever.

"Your funeral..." she sighed.

Ash's eyes widened.

"MAY WHAT- WHY- HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS?!" cried Ash, standing up. He looked downright hurt, the look in his eyes holding a pain like no other. "This- what _is _this?!"

"I don't know, I followed all the directions!"

* * *

Pikachu, who had fallen off Ash's shoulder when the latter began chasing May, hopped onto the dining table. The cake looked pretty appetizing, even from the eyes of a pokemon. Pikachu listened, trying to hear if Ash or May were nearby. From what his ears could hear, the couple was still running around in the living room like children.

"Chu..." purred the yellow mouse, rubbing his paws together in a diabolical fashion. He quickly swiped a piece of cake from Ash's plate and placed it in his mouth, eager to see how the beautiful treat tasted. As soon as he tasted the horrendous flavor, he jumped off the table in agony. "Pikaaaaaaa..."

Pikachu looked around in confusion; May was a decent (nowhere near as good as Serena) cook... food that bad rarely ever came from her. Something was off.

It didn't take Pikachu long to find out what. On the edge of the kitchen counter counter there seemed to be a few ingredients left out. Among them were jars of icing, flour, vanilla extract, sugar, cracked egg shells, etc.. Pikachu climbed up to the counter, planning on conducting a thorough examination of what May put in the cake. He began to stare down each and every ingredient, making sure everything was as it should be.

"Pikachu pi..." thought Pikachu aloud, stumped as to how the cake could have gone wrong. Everything seemed like things that'd be in cake. But then, Pikachu realized something: he didn't really care anymore. With a lazy shrug, Pikachu began to walk away. But he quickly turned around, his eyes on the sugar. After a quick listen to make sure no one was nearby, Pikachu took small handful of sugar and poured it into his mouth.

And just like that, it all made sense. Pikachu dashed to the sink, turned on the water, and spit the SALT down the drain.

* * *

"Are you sure?!" asked Ash. "Are you sure you followed _all_ the directions?!"

"Yeah! I even put an EXTRA tablespoon of sugar for maximum sweetness!" said May. "I really don't know what happened!"

"Geez, that was gross..." said Ash, calming down. He walked over to the single-seater couch on the side of the room opposite from May's and sat in it. 'Heheh, imagine how crazy it would be if our _wedding cake _came out like that..."

It took Ash a second or two to realize what he had just said. Much to his own surprise, he had done a pretty good job not mentioning or thinking about anything having to do with marriage in the last 13 days. He had been able to focus on preparation for the battle with Trip successfully, and there was not a single time that he screwed up... until now.

_"Shit." _he thought simply.

May stared at him, and then, much to Ash's horror, she sighed.

"Ash, I-"

"I'm hungry are you hungry I'm totally hungry I'll go buy us some food!" said Ash both quickly and frantically, standing up and rushing towards the front door. "I'll be back in a few-"

"Ash, sit down." said May quietly.

Ash stared at May, and could see in her sapphire eyes that she was completely serious and really wanted to have a talk with him. With a heavy sigh, Ash trudged back to his seat and dropped himself into it. He looked at May, waiting for her to continue.

"Ash... what am I to you?" she asked simply.

"May do I really have t-"

"Yes, Ash! Yes, you do!" she exclaimed, much, _much _louder than she had planned. She could see that the volume of her reply startled Ash. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell. It's just... it's frustrating, you know? It's frustrating that we've been romantically involved with each other for 9 years and the most you can call me is your girlfriend. You can't look me in the eye and tell me that that's a normal thing. Ash... I caught the bouquet at Serena's wedding. You were there when I did, and I know you know what that meant... Ash, are we ever going to get married?"

"Of course we are Ma-"

"When?" she asked.

"Uh, soon." he said, shifting around uncomfortably.

"Are you sure?" asked May. "Because I love you so much... and I've just really wanted to move on to the next stage of our rel-"

"May, I understand." said Ash, an unreadable expression on his face. He slowly stood up and walked towards the front door again.

"Where are you going?" asked May softly. "Ash?"

"I'm just gonna go... think about some things regarding tomorrow... alone..." said Ash, opening the door. He began to walk out, but he paused while he was still in the doorway. "Please don't follow me."

May watched as Ash closed the door, leaving her in the living room.

"Think about tomorrow...?" repeated May, eyes wide. _"I talk to him about making a major decision that'll affect the rest of our lives and he responds by leaving me alone so he can think over his battle strategies for tomorrow...? He can't be serious!"  
_

"Ash Ketchum, get back here!" shouted May, her face turning red in fury. She quickly hopped off the couch and rushed towards the door. But right as she was about to open it, she saw a flash of white light shine through the windows. She quickly opened the door, and saw Ash standing in the front yard, a flaming dragon beside him. "Ash Ketchum! DON'T YOU _DARE _LEAVE!"

Ash looked over his shoulder at May, and for a split second, they made eye contact. But as quickly as it began, Ash ended it. He hopped onto Charizard's back, and without command, the fire-type took flight.

"ASH!" roared May, running after the pokemon holding her boyfriend. But eventually, she realized it was hopeless. With nothing to do but watch as Ash and Charizard flew into the night sky, May sat down on the grass and broke down into a fit of anger-filled tears. "ASHHHHHHHHHHHH! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"

* * *

Charizard looked back at Ash, a questioning look in his eye.

"Just fly, Charizard." sighed Ash monotonously. "Just... keep on flying."

_To be continued..._

* * *

**Okay. That's that.**

**Anyway, on to the special announcement.**

**As you know, the next update for this story is the last one. Now that my life is back on track, I really want to get back to writing as much as I can. At the bottom of my profile is the Coming Soon section. There are 5 stories there. Of these 5, I am ready to start writing 4. So... it's time for a poll! Read the summaries for each story, and vote which one you'd like me to write next. Each person can vote for two stories. The poll will end on the 25th of July. Obviously the story with the most votes will be written next, and the 2nd place story will be written after that, and so on so forth. So choose wisely! I'm equally excited to write all of them, so I really have no preference. :D**

**Pleaaaaase vote, **

**~DarkSlash9**


	20. Rematches

**Hi everyone. This being the final chapter and all... I'd like to say thanks for reading this story. I really did enjoy writing every word of it. You all made this possible! It's kinda weird to be finishing this story since... well, this story's been around for almost as long as I've been writing on this site, and it's the first story of mine that I started and actually finished properly. You all rock!  
**

**As for the results of the poll... well, you guys voted, and here are the results!**

**Winner: Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura - 37 votes**

**Runner-Up: Pokemon: Everlasting - 32 votes**

**Bronze Medal: Pokemon: The Incapables - 18 votes**

**Certificate of Participation: Pokemon: Ketchum's Bizzare Adventure - 13 votes**

**And those are the results!  
**

**Q&amp;A**

TheNightstriker

will ash be publishing the other pokemon games considering he made red and blue will he make the others?

**Answer: Yes.**

**Okay, enjoy the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah, whatever. Don't own it.**

* * *

**Finale: Part 2**

Rematches

* * *

The Sun's golden rays shone upon two sleeping lovers, giving them both the most gentle of glows. In nothing but a pink negligee, the honey-blonde beauty's arms were loosely wrapped around her husband's clothed chest, showing that the previous night was not one of adult activity but one of innocent cuddling and embracing. It was truly a beautiful scene, one that made it quite obvious that these two beings had a love between eachother like no other.

The honey blonde's cerulean eyes slowly opened, and much to her pleasure, she found her husband's light brown ones staring right back. She smiled; she loved him oh so much. He had let his facial hair grow out recently, giving him a black stubble that made her love his visage even more. She then peeked over his shoulder, briefly focusing her eyes on the clock.

It was 11:53am.

"RED, GET UP!" screamed Serena, action-rolling out of their hotel bed, skillfully landing on her feet.

Red sat up, greatly disappointed with the abrupt end to the moment the two were having. He watched as Serena began to pillage and ransack the room, searching for an object that, evidently, was hidden quite well.

"Where is it where is it _where is it?_" she cried, frantically opening random drawers and moving random tables. Red had done absolutely nothing yet, but the two had been together for so long that Serena could practically read his mind. So she turned to him, eyes wide in what Red perceived as aggravation. "What do you mean 'what am I looking for?! I'm looking for the TV remote! Coverage of Ash's battle starts in 7 minutes! What the hell, Red?! You said you set our alarm to wake us up at 10 o'clock!"

Red looked at his phone, which lay on the nightstand near his side of the bed. He grabbed it and checked the alarm, and it did say 10:00... but it was the wrong 10:00. Red turned to Serena and grinned sheepishly.

"You set it to 10:00pm?! AGAIN?!" roared Serena, her anger at the point that she wanted to throw something at him. "This is like, the 5th time! Learn how to set an alarm you freaking goal-scoring wife-impregnating simpleton!"

With that, Serena returned to tearing the room apart in search of the remote. Red simply watched, and when he had seen enough unnecessary panic, he grabbed the TV remote, which was right by his pillow the entire time. He turned on the TV, causing Serena to pause everything and stare at the screen. She then looked at Red, who waved the remote in the air rather politely.

"You... you had it the whole time?" said Serena, in a tone that made it sound more like a statement than a question. Red nodded. Serena's eyes narrowed. "If there was time, I'd give you the speech of the century as to why you shouldn't put your 2-months pregnant wife through such a frenzy when you have what she's looking for _right __next to you. _But the battle's about to start, so shut up and watch."

Red rolled his eyes at the words 'shut up'. He spoke _so_ often. Catching the eye roll, Serena flicked his forehead.

"You know what I meant." she growled, looking at the TV.

Red really didn't know what she meant, but decided to just let it slide and watch the battle. It was 12:00, and right on time, video feed of an enormous stadium appeared on the screen.

...

"Goooood morning ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Triple C; the Celadon City Colosseum! I'm Reggie McGoobersplatt, and this is my partner, Athos the Rhyming Commentator! Today we have a special treat for you all! Tell 'em, Athos!"

"Come one, come _all_," sang Athos. "to what will surely be the grandest of pokemon _brawls_! Two young champions shall test their might _today_, in battle that will surely end in a spectacular _way_!"

"Yes Athos, it'll be quite the rip-snorting ho-down hoot'nanny of a battle indeed! Ash Ketchum, conqueror of the Johto League, will take on Trip Shooty, Champion of Unova! This is a battle between two of the top trainers in the world, and it's no secret that we're all going to be in for the snaggazooing of our lives! Athos, how many people do you think are in this stadium?"

"With what my 20/20 vision can _see_, I'm guessing sixty-thousand-ninety-_three_!"

"Close, but it's actually even more! A slarpadarping 70,000 people are in this stadium to watch this battle, and that's not even taking into account the people that are still on their way! And of course we can't forget our lovely, gorgeous, 100% attractive viewers watching the Battle of the Decade from home! The gooby-doobies back at HQ don't have the exact numbers yet, but I suspect this may be one of the most watched pokemon battles in history!"

"What a beautiful _day_, full of splendor and children screaming '_hurray_!'. If only I could be half as good a trainer as these two battling _men_, I'd probably never take up this stupid commentating job _again_! Both trainers battle with such skill, such _precision_, choosing who will win is most definitely the hardest of _decisions_!"

"You got that right, Athos. If I were a gambling man, I'd have a hard time picking who to bet my spelumpkins on! We all know how powerful Trip Shooty is; we've seen countless battles from him. But Ash Ketchum is _such _a derpaclurp! He's only been seen in a handful of battles, but from what the world has seen, he's a force to be reckoned with! But the question all his supporters want answered is... has he been practicing? He's a busy man, Athos. Pokemon training is only a hobby of his, it's not his main pooperski-"

"Reggie, silence yourself for a minute or _five_, because it seems Trip Shooty has just _arrived_! Like a golden lion leading his _pride_, he's entering the building with a crap-load groupies and security guards by his _side_!"

...

Serena and Red watched as the camera changed to a view of Trip exiting his all-black limo with glow in the dark (even though it was sunny outside) rims. Beside him were two freakishly tall and muscular men in black suits, their arms alone seeming to have the thickness of a Christmas ham. Following him were at least 6 super models, all of them in the skimpiest of bathing suits. But to Red and Serena, Trip seemed to be the most ridiculous of them all.

He wore a shiny belt that had the words 'Champion of Unova' engraved in it.

He wore a sash that read 'Champion of Unova' in an elegant cursive font.

He wore a coat that had 'Unova Champ' emblazoned across his back.

He wore a crown that had the words 'Unova Champion' spread across the rim.

And to top it all off, he had a little sticker on his chest. The words "Hello, my name is:" were already printed on the sticker. But written in the blank space under those words was actual handwriting. But it didn't say "Champion of Unova" or any variant of such; instead, it said "You should already know my name".

Before she could spot any other garments that reminded her of Trip's status, Serena grabbed her cell phone and dialed May's cell phone number. It took unusually long for someone to pick up, since May was usually one to pick up quickly.

"Err... Hello?" answered a voice, one that clearly wasn't May's.

"Who is this? Why do you have May's phone? Where's May?" asked Serena in a merciless onslaught of questions.

"Um, this is Clemont. I'm one of the lead programmers for the Pokemon Franchise, as well as a close friend of Ash's. May is... busy right now."

"Busy? I'm her sister. There's no type of 'busy' in the world that can keep me from talking to her. But, for the sake of peace, I guess I'll let it slide... Put Ash on the phone instead."

"I'm afraid I can't do that either... Ash isn't here."

Serena's face scrunched up in confusion for a second, but then returned to its normal state. "Oh, is he on his way to the stadium?"

"Umm... we don't... we don't know exactly _where_ he is."

"Come again?" asked Serena monotonously.

"Y'know, I think Tracey is more equipped to handle this." said Clemont hurriedly.

A few shuffles were heard over the phone, along with what sounded like angry yelling. Serena couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on. She had a never-ending stream of questions to ask, and as soon as Tracey picked up the phone, she'd unleash them.

"Hel-"

"Tracey!" shouted Serena. "Where are you guys? You should be entering or at least on your way to the stadium by now! Where's Ash?! He should be with you guys! Who's that yelling in the background? Is that May?! What's going on?! Where's Max?! How come he's not calming our sister down?! The next time I visit home he's gonna get it-"

"Serena, I can only answer so many questions at once." said Tracey calmly.

"Then start answering!" she roared.

Red simply watched as Serena spoke at unnecessarily loud volumes, her voice far louder than the TV. Ever since she had found out she was pregnant (for real this time) she had been experiencing mood swings and moments of extremely uncalled-for aggravation. Red, of course, was completely used to it, since that was what was supposed to happen during pregnancy (at least from what he knew). But to those who didn't know of her state, (Tracey and Cilan) it more than likely came off as crazy.

Red waited to hear Tracey answer Serena's command, but it took him a while.

"...Well, to start things off, we are on our way to the Triple C. We'll be there in a little over 5 minutes. We don't have a clue where Ash is. According to May, he just got up and flew away on his Charizard after she tried to 'talk about things' with him. And yes, that is May yelling in the background. She's really angry right now. Max can't cheer her up, because Max is driving right now and he's trying to focus on the road. Any other questions?"

"Listen Tracey, I don't need your sass." spat Serena.

"Why are you even calling anyway?" asked Tracey, with even more sass.

"I was gonna tell Ash to kick Trip's smug Unova Chump ass, but I can't do that if he's not there. But what I _can_ do is calm May down. Give her the phone."

Serena waited for Tracey to hand May the phone. Of course she couldn't see what was going on inside their car, but she could tell the phone was getting closer to May simply by the sound of May's voice getting louder and louder.

"WHAT?!" barked May, nearly blowing out Serena's eardrum.

"Good morning to you too." greeted Serena sarcastically.

"1) IT'S THE AFTERNOON! 2) SHUT UP!" shouted the brunette. "IF YOU'RE CALLING TO CALM ME DOWN, YOU MIGHT AS WELL HANG UP NOW BECAUSE I AM PISSED! THERE IS GOING TO BE TROUBLE IF ASH DOESN'T APOLOGIZE! FUCK THE BATTLE, IF I FIND HIM AFTERWARDS AND THE FIRST THING HE SAYS ISN'T AN APOLOGY... HE WILL FACE THE WRATH OF A THOUSAND HITMONCHANS CONCENTRATED INTO MY BACKHAND BITCH-SLAP! HE WILL KNOW FEAR, HE WILL EXPERIENCE HORRORS OF THE MOST UNFATHOMABLE NATUR-"

"May calm down." ordered Serena, holding the phone a few inches away from her ear to avoid any further damage. "Now I want you to take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Please stop yelling, there's really no need to raise your voice."

"The irony..." muttered Tracey in the background.

"Okay." said May, taking a deep breath. "Long story short, I tried talking to Ash about a really important topic, and he hopped on his Charizard and flew off. We were talking about something really important, and he decided to leave to go think about his battle!"

"Did he say he was going to go think about his battle?"

"No, he said he was going to think about a couple things regarding _today_. Besides his battle, what _else _is today?"

"...Nothing, I guess." lied Serena, beginning to realize what was truly going on. "I guess I'm angry at him too. What a schmuck."

"A super schmuck! After I kick his ass, which will be after he kicks Trip's ass, I want you to call him and verbally kick his ass!"

"Will do, May." said Serena with a chuckle. "Will do."

"Okay, we're arriving at the Triple C now, I have to get off the phone. I'll call you tonight."

"Alright. Try not to assault Ash too much, you never know what he's got planned. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to walk out of an important conversation without a reason."

"I guess..." grumbled May. "Bye."

"Bye." Serena hung up the phone, turning to Red. "She has no idea he's going to propose after the battle. She said they were talking about something important... they were definitely talking about marriage. Why else would Ash leave? And what would he be 'thinking' about when he left? Certainly not the battle, since proposing is what he considers the main event of today."

Red tilted his head.

"Yeah, I know." continued Serena. "Winning the battle is part of his proposing plan. So where the heck is he? The battle starts soon..."

The couple returned their attention to the TV, where, coincidentally, the commentators were thinking the same exact thing...

...

"So with Trip Shooty making his absolutely clurfognarlic entrance into the stadium, we all have no choice but to wonder; where is his opponent? The poppercoons at HQ have just notified us that Ash Ketchum's dear friends and associates have just entered the stadium, but he's not among them! Quite the skiddlemagoo! What could be the meaning of this, Athos?"

"The greatest of _mysteries_; if left unanswered, it will leave a mark on_ history_... Where the fuck could he _be_? Not even one with gifted eyes like me could _see_. For the sake of a _distraction_, I suppose I should point out that Trip Shooty appears to be ready for _action_!"

"Smaggadowow! You're right, Athos! Ladies and gentlemen, Trip Shooty has entered the battlefield! Wow Athos, you can just hear the crowd's screams and cheers intensifying!"

As he walked to his side of the battlefield, Trip waved at countless people, even winking at some girls. Once he made it to his station, he looked around, the proudest of smirks on his face. Once he had spent enough time bathing in cheers, he cast took off all his Unova Champion gear, revealing his outfit. He wore a pair of designer black jeans, an orange sweater, and dark green fingerless gloves. His shoes were the newest pair of Air Magikarp sneakers, the Air Magikarp 13s. Attached to his belt were 6 ultra-balls, each of them shining in the Sun's light.

At the removal of his extra garments, the crowd erupted into even more cheers.

"Well, it is officially time for the battle to begin folks!" roared Reggie McGoobersplatt. According to the the rules, Ash Ketchum has 5 minutes to arrive or it's an automatic forfeit! Let's hope it doesn't come to that, because that'd be a flaggadociously bad turn of events!"

...

"Oh gosh, if Ash doesn't show up, who knows how this'll affect our sales..." murmured Clemont, twiddling his thumbs nervously. Everyone had already found their seats. Of course, since they were Ash's closest friends, they were given front row seats. Clemont was on the far left, and next to him was Cilan, and then Tracey, and then Max, and finally May on the right end. Clemont looked at everyone else, and saw that their faces were relatively neutral and in no way worried (except May, who's face was stuck in a perpetual scowl). "You guys aren't worried?"

"Calm down, Clemont." ordered Tracey with a sigh. "He'll come."

"Yeah, it's not like Ash to walk away from a pokemon battle." concurred Max.

"But it's not like him to disappear either!" cried Clemont. "If he doesn't show, we have no idea how this will affect the Pokemon franchise. The possibilities are endless!"

"You're telling _me _how it'll affect sales?" asked Tracey with a snort. "Dude, you're a programmer. It's literally my job to spend most of my day making sure the game looks good and that we're adding features that'll make the game sell. I really don't think Ash missing a battle will lower the franchise's profit. You're overreacting to the extreme."

"What he said." agreed Cilan.

Clemont was still unconvinced. "Bu-"

"Clemont, put it to rest." ordered May. "He'll come. He _did_ disappear for the sole purpose of thinking about the battle. Ash doesn't chicken out when it comes to things like this. You may have worked with him for over 10 years now, but I've been dating him for 9, and I've lived with him for 3. You don't know him better than I do."

"...What she said." agreed Cilan.

"How much time does he have left?" asked Max.

"According to the large timer conveniently hanging in the center of the stadium, 2 minutes left." answered Tracey, looking at the large timer conveniently hanging in the center of the stadium. "C'mon Ash... hurry up..."

_1 and a half minutes later..._

"Well Athos, according to the incredibly convenient Clock-O-Tron-O-Matic 4000 in the center of the stadium, Ash Ketchum only has 30 seconds left to arrive! Do you think he'll make it?" asked Reggie McGoobersplatt.

"Reggie, I'm freaking the fuck _out_. Last night I bet 10,000 pokedollars on Ketchum because I thought he'd win without a _doubt_. The validity of my_ fear_... is becoming crystal fucking _clear_. He's not gonna _come_, and a large blow to my bank account will be _done_!"

"Woah, take it down a notch, he's still got 30 seconds Athos! Anything can happen!"

"Look at fuckin' Trip Shooty, flashing his smug-ass _grin_... but then again, he should be grinning; by default, he's gonna _win_! Fan-fucking-tastic, only 15 seconds to _go_! Whether I'll ever recover from the loss of 10,000 dollars, I'll never _know_!"

"Athos, quit your clergdurpin' for a second!" shouted Reggie as he looked upwards, his eyes widening in astonishment. He pointed towards an object fast approaching on the horizon, mouth agape and finger trembling in excitement. "With just 10 seconds left, something appears in the sky! Is it a bird? No way! Is it a plane?! Hell naw! It's... _it's_... A HELICOPTER!"

And so it was. The helicopter flew across the stadium.

"Just thought I should point that out. I like helicopters." said Reggie calmly. "And, would you look at that, Ash Ketchum's here."

Everyone (even the camera-men) had been so busy looking at the helicopter that Reggie had pointed out that not a single person in the stadium or watching at home saw Ash Ketchum appear on his side of the field, Pikachu on shoulder. His face was completely straight, not a single emotion present on it. Unlike Trip, Ash did not arrive decked out in superfluous gear and add-ons. He was wearing a pair of khaki-colored cargo shorts, a sky blue short-sleeved button-up shirt, and a pair of basic white sneakers. He eyed Trip from across the battlefield, waiting for him to notice his presence.

Being one of the first people to look down at Ash, May's eyes widened.

_"What the- He's here... but those aren't the clothes he left in! And he didn't leave with Pikachu! Did he come back home AFTER I left?! How in the world... dammit, curse him and his mysterious behavior as of late!" _she thought, clenching her fists. She then looked around and noticed that quite a few people were still watching the helicopter fly off into the distance, seeming to be absolutely dazzled by the beauty of modern air-travel. May rolled her eyes. _"How's the battle gonna start if everyone's looking at that damn helicopter?!"_

Fortunately, the helicopter didn't occupy everyone's attention forever. Trip finally looked down from the helicopter, and the first thing he saw was Ash standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, looking right at him. His mouth cracked open, a startled look in his eyes.

"How the hell did you get there! You just... appeared!" he exclaimed, pointing to Ash.

"Not really..." answered Ash, raising an eyebrow. "I just walked in like any normal person would. Everyone seemed to be looking up at the sky when I did though."

The shock immediately left Trip's face, being replaced with a competitive half-smile. He changed the center of his attention from his opponent to the yellow rodent sitting on it's shoulder.

"I see you brought your Pikachu. Good. I wouldn't be satisfied if I won without you using him."

"Good for you." answered Ash, his tone a bored one. "Can we start now?"

"Impatient, are we? Well, I hope you're ready then." replied Trip, grabbing an ultra-ball from his belt. "I'm gonna win this, but you better make it tough. Crushing opponents is fun, but a close battle is even better."

"You keep saying that you're gonna win..." sighed Ash, pokeball in hand. "I'm no psychologist, but I'm guessing that must be your way of coming to terms with the fact that you _can't _win. I hate to disappoint, but this is gonna end the same way it did all those years ago... the only difference is the number of people watching."

"I'm not the same trainer I was back then, Ketchum." said Trip seriously, clutching his ultra-ball a little harder. "I've grown. I've seen the world. I've battled battles you couldn't even picture in your wildest dreams, fought fights that even the most hardened Metapods couldn't withstand. I've rode the powerful Rapidash known as fate, and not only did I ride it, I've taken it by the reins and used my spurs of destiny to lead my life down the most fruitful path! No Ketchum, I'm not the same trainer I was back then... I'm stronger, faster, better! I've become the man I've always dreamed being, and the final step in my life-long odyssey has finally come. I will beat you here and now, completing my very existence! For nearly a decade this has been written in our destinies, the prophetic clash between two transcendent trainers! The day is here! I will win!"

"Cool."

A referee walked onto the field, two flags in hand.

"This will be a 6-on-6 battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Trip Shooty of Pallet Town. There will be no substitutions! The first person to lose all 6 pokemon is the loser. Are both combatants ready?" Both trainers nodded. The referee waved his flags downward. "Then begin!"

"Vanilluxe, let's do this!" called Trip, tossing the yellow, black, and white ball into the air. In a flash of white light, Vanilluxe appeared, ready for battle.

"An ultra-ball for _that_ thing..." mumbled Ash, throwing his own pokeball onto the field. "*sigh* whatever. Snorlax, I choose you."

In a flash of light, a large Snorlax appeared. Aware of Ash's battle against Trip, it looked around, expecting a worthy opponent. The Sleep Pokemon was sorely disappointed when all it saw was a smiling double scoop of ice-cream floating in mid-air.

"Snorlaaaaaaxxx..." groaned Snorlax, looking at Ash with clear disappointment.

"Don't worry, if you beat Ben &amp; Jerry over there, I'm sure you'll get to fight some of Trip's tougher-looking pokemon." assured Ash. Then he paused. "Assuming that he has any."

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who's not paying attention!" called Trip from the other side of the battlefield. "Vanilluxe, freeze him with an Ice Beam!"

"It's called multi-tasking, Trip." replied Ash. "Snorlax, Protect!"

With a mighty cry, Vanilluxe shot a large beam of ice straight towards Snorlax, who seemed to bracing himself. The beam was tearing towards Snorlax quite fast, but there seemed to be no sense of urgency visible in the Sleep Pokemon. With his feet planted firmly in the ground, Snorlax put his two paws in front of him, generating a green barrier. The Ice Beam bounced harmlessly off the Protect, ceasing to exist soon after.

"Good job, Snorlax. Now, hit him with a Hyper Beam." ordered Ash.

"A Hyper Beam? Are you kidding?!" asked Trip incredulously.

* * *

"A Hyper Beam?!" shrieked Serena. "Is he serious?!"

Red shrugged.

* * *

"A Hyper Beam?! Why would he order Snorlax to do an attack like that?" cried Clemont.

Max, Cilan, and Tracey all asked similar questions to themselves.

* * *

"Shmowzow! Athos, what do you think possessed Ash Ketchum to order his pokemon to do an attack like that?!" asked Reggie McGoobersplatt, slamming both hands on his table in excitement.

"I too am at a loss _Reggie_," replied Athos the Rhyming Commentator, watching as yellow-orange energy began to build up in Snorlax's eyes. "Every pokemon has to take a break after an attack that _heavy_. It seems Ketchum made that choice with not much _wit_, because after that Hyper Beam, his Snorlax will be wide open to be _hit_!"

Snorlax fired the Hyper Beam from his eyes, sending dual beams of pain barreling straight towards Vanilluxe, one beam for each scoop of ice-cream.

"Vanilluxe, dodge and counter with Icicle Spear!" barked Trip.

Vanilluxe narrowly dodged the Hyper Beam, and wasted no time in shooting a barrage of icy projectiles at Ash's Snorlax. The icicle spears looked extremely sharp, and they seemed like they'd do plenty of damage. Winded from the Hyper Beam, Snorlax could do nothing but watch as the spears of ice raced towards him.

"I can't believe you used a Hyper Beam when your opponent's Pokemon is at full strength! You left your Snorlax completely open! A novice mistake, Ketchum. Now you'll pay the price!" jeered Trip just as the icicles were about to make contact with Snorlax.

The attack connected, creating a cloud of dust around Snorlax. Ash was also consumed in the dust cloud, hiding his facial expression from everyone.

"And it seems like first blood goes to Trip Shooty!" observed Reggie. "There was no way those icy spears of death missed their target!"

The cloud of dust began to clear, slowly but surely revealing both the pokemon and trainer that had been concealed in it. The crowd fell into silence as everyone focused their attention on Snorlax. The dust around Ash cleared up first, allowing everyone to see how unimpressed he was. Right after, the dust around Snorlax dissipated, and what the spectators saw shocked them. Instead of a pokemon attempting to recover from a direct attack, they saw one that looked like it hadn't been attacked at all. In fact, one of the icicles that had been so dangerously shot at the pokemon was hanging out of its mouth, as if it were candy.

"What?! That was a direct attack! You can't tell me that thing took it and isn't hurt at all!" bellowed Trip, losing what little cool he had to begin with.

"One of a Snorlax's most notable traits is its high defense. Any champion should know that." said Ash, flashing his first smirk of the day. "It'll take a lot more than a couple ice shards to do some real damage. Now, Snorlax, use Mega Punch!"

"Vanilluxe, Icicle Spear again! Full power! Show him your true icy potential!"

Both pokemon shouted their names in compliance. Snorlax began a mad dash across the field, it's fist building up a dazzling white glow as the large pokemon rushed towards its opponent. Vanilluxe put on its game face(s) and charged even more icy daggers, launching them towards Snorlax with twice as much speed as before. Like a young child running through harmless snowflakes, Snorlax rushed through the Icicle Spears, each one shattering on contact.

"Shit," swore Trip, watching as Snorlax grew closer and closer to Vanilluxe, Mega Punch fully charged. But just then, an absolutely brilliant idea appeared in his mind. "Oh! Vanilluxe! Quick, use-"

It was too late. Snorlax's fist clashed with one of Vanilluxe's faces, causing the pokemon to enter an uncontrollable spin.

"Swipe it a couple times to make it spin faster." ordered Ash.

Snorlax did just that, only stopping when Vanilluxe was no more than a light blue blur. Trip glared at Ash with gritted teeth.

"Come on, Vanilluxe! He's making a fool out of you! Snap out of it and get him with a Blizzard attack!" yelled Trip.

"Proooobably not gonna happen." answered Ash in Vanilluxe's stead. "Snorlax, wrap up Round 1 with another Hyper Beam."

Snorlax glared down at the still spinning Vanilluxe, eyes once again building up with yellow-orange energy. With a triumphant roar, Snorlax released the energy, hitting its target with impeccable accuracy. The resulting blast sent Vanilluxe rolling across the battlefield, the living ice-cream skidding to a halt right by Trip's feet.

"Vanilluxe is unable to battle! The first match goes to Ash Ketchum!" announced the referee.

"Dammit Vanilluxe... you were my strongest pokemon..." said Trip, returning Vanilluxe into the pokeball.

"You... you're kidding, right?" asked Ash. "How did you beat the Unova League if _that _was your strongest pokemo-"

"Of course I was kidding, Ketchum. Vanilluxe is nothing compared to the rest of my team. I just used him to gauge how strong you are." said Trip, crossing his arms. "I now know that you're still just as good as you used to be... maybe even better."

"Thanks, but that's a load of bullshit." observed Ash dryly. "I'm pretty sure you already knew I'd be a worthy opponent. I've done enough research on my spare time to tell you what _really _happened just now. From your battles that I've seen, you only use that double-scoop of dairy when it has a type advantage over your opponent. Doing that is great and all, but relying on a type advantage for so long eventually leads to a misunderstanding. You think your pokemon is strong because it wins all the battles, but really, it's only its natural advantage over its opponent that's giving it all the wins. I hope you haven't trained all your pokemon like Vanilla Ice over there, because if you did, you won't be winning any time soon; My pokemon are specially trained to deal with type disadvantages."

"Hmph. My pokemon are trained in secret battle strategies that you'll never understand, Ketchum." replied Trip haughtily, grabbing his next pokemon from his belt. "Talk all you want. Talk is cheap. You may think you know all there is to know in pokemon battling, but you have a lot to learn, and I'm gonna teach you a lesson or two! Now, prepare to meet the demise of your Snorlax! Go, Conkeldurr!"

* * *

"Conkeldurr..." muttered Tracey, narrowing his eyes as a brown ogre-like creature with a big red nose materialized from Trip's ultra-ball. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that a Fighting Type pokemon?"

"Yes." answered Cilan with a nod.

"Normal Type pokemon like Snorlax take double damage from Fighting Types like Conkeldurr, right?" continued Tracey, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes." answered Cilan with a nod.

"So he's doing exactly what Ash was just talking about?" asked Tracey, shoulders slumping in disbelief.

"Yes." answered Cilan with a nod.

Tracey glared at Cilan. "Can you do anything other than answer yes with a nod-"

"I think what Trip is trying to do is prove that he doesn't care about what Ash is saying." observed Clemont. The blonde's sudden entrance into the conversation caught both Tracey and Cilan off guard, giving him their full attention. "From what I remember in high school, Trip is a pretty stubborn guy. My guess is that Ash hit the nail right on the head when he described Trip's battle style. In response to that, Trip's going to try to make Ash look like the fool by beating his Snorlax, which, as Ash said, is specially trained to deal with a type disadvantage."

"Hm, interesting." replied Max, adjusting his glasses. "I don't know about you guys, but I feel like there was a little truth to Trip's words earlier. He _is _a champion..."

"What are you trying to say?" asked May, breaking her silence. She hadn't spoken since they got into their seats, opting to keep to her own thoughts. In her silence Clemont, Tracey, Max, and Cilan nearly forgot about her. The tone of her voice seemed to cast a wave of slight discomfort and anxiety over the 4 young men, causing each of them to shift around uncomfortably.

Being the one that May was talking to, Max had no choice but to speak up.

"I- um, I was just trying to say that I don't think the rest of Trip's pokemon are going to be as easy to defeat as Vanilluxe was. I mean, yeah he probably relies too much on type advantages, but his pokemon still need to be pretty strong to get him to..." Max began to trail off as he realized that May was slowly leaning towards him in a threatening manner, her eyes growing more and more narrow with each word. With a nervous gulp, he continued. "But y'know Ash has totally got this in the bag so there's no need to worry about anything hahahahahah."

May slowly gravitated back to her seat, giving Max the same _"you got lucky this time, punk"_ look a Pyroar gives its prey when they manage to escape. Max sighed in relief, proceeding to glare at May out of the corner of his eye.

_"She's mad at Ash... but she still wants him to win... *sigh* why aren't they married yet?" _he thought, returning his attention to the battle between Snorlax and Conkeldurr.

...

"Wow, what an intense battle, Athos! Trip Shooty's Conkeldurr seems to be quite the match for Ash Ketchum's Snorlax! These two powerhouses are knocking the glepurpyderps out of each other!"

"Like the mightiest of _beasts_, they battle like drunk men at a king-sized _feast_! A ferocious fight _indeed_, their blows are becoming quite hard to _read_!"

"Trip Shooty really seems to be barking out those orders..." observed Reggie, watching as Trip shouted a string of attacks for Conkeldurr to perform. "His Conkeldurr is going toe to toe with Ketchum's Snorlax. It all seems evenly matched, but there's one thing that tells me otherwise!"

"1, 2, _3_, what might that _be_?"

"Ketchum is silent!"

* * *

"I noticed that." agreed Serena. Red raised an eyebrow, prompting Serena to explain. She pointed to a spot on the screen. "Look at Ash."

Red scooted a focused on the area Serena was pointing to, which was Ash. He was simply standing there. He seemed to be staring straight ahead, but even on the TV it was clear he wasn't paying much attention to the fight. He seemed to have zoned out, entering a world of thought.

"Since the fight with Conkeldurr began, Ash hasn't said a single thing. Snorlax is fighting on its own. Why isn't Ash ordering Snorlax?" asked Serena.

* * *

_"This is taking forever..." _thought Ash exasperatedly. _"Why can't Trip just forfeit or something? I've been saying all these cool one-liners and disses in hopes that he'd lose his spirit and give up... The courage I worked so hard to build up all night is slowly slipping away... I need to propose to May before it's all gone..."_

Ash looked around, his eyes widening immediately. It seemed Snorlax was in a battle with another one of Trip's pokemon.

_"Shit, didn't know Snorlax was already fighting that Bob the Builder pokemon. I should probably give him some commands... nah, he seems to be doing pretty well on his own. I should trust him to handle it himsel-"  
_

"Snorlax is unable to battle!" announced the referee, staring at the unconscious Sleep Pokemon.

_"Dammit. I guess the rest of Trip's pokemon **aren't** as frail as Vanilla Deluxe." _thought Ash, pulling Snorlax's pokeball out of his pocket. Once the pokemon was safely returned, Ash sighed and looked down at the ball. "Good job Snorlax, you were amazing out there."

"Looks like you have a little _too_ much faith in your pokemon!" laughed Trip, crossing his arms triumphantly. "Did you really think your Snorlax could beat my Conkeldurr without any of your commands?! HAH! Another novice mistake on your part, Ketchum!"

"Don't get cocky now." warned Ash. He then did something that made Trip pause his laughter. It was a simple action, but all who'd seen Ash Ketchum battle before knew what it meant: shit of the utmost ass-whooping-ness was about to commence. Ash Ketchum had just turned his hat backwards. Slowly. Realizing this was not a good sign, Trip put on his game face. Ash smirked. "I'm just getting started. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Trip."

"Oh please, try that on someone else." said Trip, unafraid. "I'm well aware of what happens when the hat is put on backwards. That transformation of yours may have helped you win battles in the past, but this is where it ends! Call out your next pokemon!"

"Meganium, I choose you!" yelled Ash, throwing a pokeball into the air. _"Okay, for now, I need to stop thinking about proposing and focus on winning. Can't propose if I don't win. Let's just hope I can end this quickly..."  
_

_..._

_2 hours later_

_..._

"Unfezant is unable to battle!"

Trip grabbed an ultra-ball from his belt and returned his unconscious pokemon, glaring at Ash menacingly as he did. The battle was long and stressful, but so far, Ash was dominating. The same things kept happening from the minute Ash turned his hat backwards: Ash's pokemon would beat Trip's, putting Ash in the lead. Then Trip would beat Ash's pokemon, tying the match. And then Ash's pokemon would beat Trip's again, putting Ash back in the lead.

_"It's just a fucking hat! How can it affect his battling this much?!" _thought the dirt-blonde champion with gritted teeth.

"You're looking kind of angry Trip. Nothing like what I thought you'd be like in a losing situation. When I looked up your stats on the day you sent me that e-mail, the search engine said you battle systematically and have a calm demeanor. You've been anything but those things today. Could it be because you know you're going to lose?"

"Mock me while you can Ketchum, because it's time to unleash my strongest pokemon! Serperior! Show him your serperiority!"

"Serperiority? I think you meant **su**periority, Tri-"

"It was on purpose, you snarky dick." growled Trip, tossing Serperior's ultra-ball into the sky.

In a flash of light, a familiar green snake appeared. As soon as the creature was visible, Pikachu, who had been watching the entire battle from Ash's shoulder, tensed up. Sparks began to fly from the rodent's electrical cheeks as it stared down its old serpentine adversary.

"Chuuu..."

"There, there, Pikachu." cooed Ash. "You'll get your turn. Feraligatr doesn't have much left in him anyway, plus, Serperior has a type advantage over him. He'll probably go down in one hit. After that, Serperior is allll yours."

"I see your Pikachu is eager; to lose that is!" laughed Trip. "Don't worry, Serperior will dispose of your Feraligatr in the blink of an eye, and then we'll get to the real battle; my Serperior against your Pikachu! Now, Serperior, take down that croc! Razor Leaf, let's go!"

"Seeerrrrperior!"

"Feraligatr, dodge!" ordered Ash as multiple green arcs of plant flew towards the blue bipedal crocodile.

Feraligatr, exhausted from its previous battle with Trip's Unfezant, did its best to comply. Unfortunately, not only was the attack too fast, Feraligatr was simply too slow. Serperior's attack hit its target, knocking it out. The referee stepped forward, making sure that Feraligatr was unconscious.

"Feraligatr is unable to batt-"

"Yeah whatever," snapped Ash. "let's do this, Pikachu!"

"Here it is, folks, the battle the began this knee-slappin' rivalry in the first place!" shouted Reggie McGoobersplatt as Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder, landing in a battle stance. "Word on the grapevine is that one day, in the yard of a high school, Trip Shooty was wrecking shop on a special day reserved for students battling one another. But, right as Trip had defeated a certain girl's Wartortle, a certain trainer emerged from the shadows, defeating Trip and his Serperior. That certain girl was May Maple, present-day girlfriend of that certain trainer, and that certain trainer was none other than ASH KETCHUM! HOT DIGGITY DOG!"

"Truly no better _way_ to end the great battle we've been watching _today_." agreed Athos the Rhyming Commentator. "But as previously stated, I placed an obscene amount of cash on Ketchum's victory, so let's hope history repeats itself."

"Athos, I'm not trying to mess up your credibility or anything, but that second sentence didn't rhyme!"

"Oh, uh, I have no idea what you _mean_, uh, I'd never abandon my rhyme _scheme_, er... y'know what, fuck it. I'm done with the whole rhyming shtick. You know how hard it is to come up with this shit on the fly? It's hella hard, Reggie. My name's not even Athos, it's Matt. Fuck Athos the Rhyming Commentator, I'm now Matt, the Average Commentator. Look, the battle's starting. Everybody shut up and watch it."

Matt the Average Commentator was right, the battle was beginning. Both Trip and Ash stared each other down, waiting to see who'd make the first move...

It was Trip.

"Serperior, Vine Whip!" ordered Trip.

"Pikachu, dodge and use Quick attack!" countered Ash, taking this battle against Trip's Serperior more seriously than all the other battles.

From the stands, May gasped. Her gasp was loud enough to catch the attention of Max, Tracey, Cilan, and Clemont. Noticing the boys' eyes on her, May glared right back, silently telling them to back off.

_"That's exactly how their battle 9 years ago started..." _thought May, watching as Pikachu dodged Serperior's vines and followed through with the Quick Attack.

"Serperior, pull yourself together and use Slam!" ordered Trip, further freaking May out.

_"That's what Trip told Serperior to do back then too!"_

"Pikachu, meet that Slam attack with an Iron Tail!" commanded Ash.

_"Holy guacamole, are they doing this on purpose?!" _thought May, eyes wide and mouth open. _"I guess I **have** been wanting history to repeat itself and all, but not to the extent of them doing the same exact moves..."_

Coincidentally, as May thought of the similarities between the original battle and this new one, things began to differ. Instead of Pikachu's Iron Tail being a critical hit, the strength of Serperior's Slam seemed to match that of the Iron Tail, blowing both pokemon away from each other. Ash's eyes narrowed at this, while Trip's mouth curved upwards in a proud smirk.

"That's right, narrow those eyes, Ketchum. It ended differently that time. But does this mean my Serperior has gotten stronger, or has your Pikachu just gotten weaker?! Serperior, hit him with a Leaf Tornado so we can find out!"

Serperior jumped and began to spin on its head, the Regal Pokemon's tail straight up in the air. A green tornado began to grow on the tip of the tail, glowing leaves beginning to materialize. The tornado grew larger and larger, becoming more of a maelstrom. The people in the crowd began to feel the winds move their hairs, a testament to the power of Serperior's attack.

The intense winds made it all too clear to Ash that a move like that would probably do lots of damage.

_"Double Team would be useless... the real Pikachu would probably get hit by that thing no matter what... so how can I dodge...?"_

Serperior launched the attack, sending the torrent of leaves and wind straight towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Dig!" barked Ash, the idea coming to him in the nick of time.

Pikachu quickly dug a hole deep enough to protect himself from the Leaf Tornado. But of course, Ash was still in the attack's path. Thinking fast, Ash lunged out of the way, narrowly escaping what could've been a trip to the hospital. He landed in a forward roll, standing up immediately after.

"Pikachu, when you're ready, come up and use Iron Tail!"

"Brace yourself, Serperior. When he comes up, be ready to defend with Vine Whip."

And so the waiting game began. Serperior waited, Vine Whips already poised to strike. Both Ash and Trip also watched, waiting for Pikachu to decide to come out. Ash hadn't given Pikachu a certain area to come out from, making the entire battlefield a danger zone for Trip and Serperior.

_"Come on bud... the best place to come up is behind Serperior... come on..."_

"Heh," chuckled Trip, his eyes still looking for any indications of Pikachu. "Looks like your Pikachu's too scared to come ou-"

Just then, a yellow blur emerged from a patch of dirt right behind Serperior. Serperior turned around, the first thing the Regal Pokemon saw being Pikachu in the air with his tail already the color of iron. Pikachu swung his tail downwards, but the attack was halted by Serperior's vines. Unfazed, Pikachu swung his tail again, and Serperior blocked again.

"Piiii..." growled Pikachu, lifting his tail again. "KA! KA! PIKA! KACHU! KA!"

Pikachu began a merciless assault of repeated Iron Tails, all of them being blocked with Serperior's Vine Whips, which seemed to be of equal strength. But after a barrage of 11 strikes, Serperior's defenses began to weaken. The vines were becoming harder to control, while Pikachu's tail only seemed to get faster and faster with each swing. Finally, Pikachu reached a breakthrough; he swung downwards, and this time, there were no vines to stop the Iron Tail from smashing right into Serperior's head.

"And a direct hit!" shouted Reggie, beginning to sweat from the sheer excitement of the battle. "Oh skiddlydoo, that was amazing, eh Athos- I mean, Matt?"

"Yeah. Totally cool." answered Matt in a totally run-of-the-mill manner.

"Serperior, don't let him embarrass us again!" shouted Trip. "Use Swords Dance!"

While Pikachu returned to Ash's side of the field, Serperior closed its eyes and slithered around. Several green energy swords began to materialize around the snake, and when the dance was done, the energy that composed the swords channeled itself into Serperior, raising its attack power.

"Good, now use Leaf Storm!"

"Pikachu," said Ash warily. "Dodge, but be careful. Leaf Storm is already a strong move, but with that Swords Dance, it'll definitely pack a punch. Try to dodge with a Quick Attack."

Pikachu nodded, right as Serperior fired a small hurricane of leaves at him. Pikachu's Quick Attack was fast, but the Leaf Storm was simply faster. Unable to get his full body out of the way in time, Pikachu's hind legs were forced to endure Trip's attack.

"Pikachu!" cried Ash, watching as his yellow mouse was sent rolling across the field. "You okay bud?"

Pikachu slowly stood back up, hurt, but still conscious. The electric mouse turned to its trainer, nodding in assurance.

"Good to see." said Ash, relieved. "Okay, get 'em with a Thunderbolt!"

"Serperior, quick, use Double Team so he won't know who to hit!"

Before Pikachu could execute the Thunderbolt attack, countless Serperiors materialized around the field, each one looking just as real as the last. Deciding to aim for the one closest to Trip, Pikachu released the built up electricity. Unfortunately, it was just one of the many decoys of the Double Team.

"How're you gonna find the REAL Serperior, Ketchum? It seems like both our Pokemon don't have that much left in them! Your Pikachu can't afford to keep shooting Thunderbolts til he hits the right one!"

"Oh please, I know how to deal with a Double Team." declared Ash. "Pikachu, use your biggest Thunder Wave!"

"Thunder Wave?" asked Trip, with a snort. "What'll that do? You still don't know which Serperior is the real one!"

"But it's how I'll find out." answered Ash with a smirk.

"What...?" mumbled Trip as he looked at Pikachu.

The rodent was radiating random arcs of electricity, the golden energy ribbons spreading across the field in every direction. One by one, Serperior clones began to disappear, causing Ash to smirk even more and Trip to gasp.

"How?!"

"It's simple," said Ash, crossing his arms. "a powerful Thunder Wave's 100% accuracy makes it a perfect tool to get rid of pesky Double Teams. And since its not a damage dealing move, it doesn't take that much energy out of Pikachu. Each of the Double Team clones are being paralyzed by the Thunder Wave, causing them to disappear. When all of them are gone, there'll only be one left: the real one!"

"Dammit!" swore Trip, watching as Serperior's Double Team was destroyed. Just one Serperior was left, and it was on the far right of the battlefield. "Serperior, use Leech Seed!"

"Serrr..." growled the serpentine pokemon, building up a large amount of seeds in its mouth.

But halfway through the buildup, the paralysis from Pikachu's Thunder Wave surged, causing half the intended amount of seeds to shoot from its mouth. Unfortunately for Pikachu, half seemed to be enough. Vines grew from the seeds, ensnaring the yellow rodent before it could escape. Seeing that Pikachu was trapped in the leeching vines, Serperior let the paralysis overtake its body.

"It looks like I have this battle won, Ketchum." said Trip. "Both our Pokemon are unable to move. But my Serperior's only paralyzed while your Pikachu is in a much worse condition. Those leeching vines are going to continue chipping away of what energy Pikachu has left, slowly but surely rejuvenating Serperior. By the time your paralysis wears off, Serperior will be near full strength again, and your Pikachu will be on the ropes!"

Trip waited for Ash to say something like along the lines of 'oh no!' or 'darn', but those words were never said. Instead Ash did the exact opposite of what Trip wanted; he began to chuckle.

"What's so funny? I wouldn't be laughing if I were you."

"You think it's over," said Ash, looking at Trip. "But the binding capabilities of your Leech Seed don't count Pikachu out just yet. It only stops Pikachu from doing any attacks that involve moving his body, like Tackle, Iron Tail or Thunderbolt. But what if I were to command Pikachu to do a move that he could still execute in his bound state?"

"What move would that be? All Pikachu's electrical moves require some sort of movement! There's not a move in your arsenal that can save you right now."

"Oh yes there is. It's obvious you've never trained an electric-type pokemon, and that you lack a good-memory for that matter. There's one move Pikachu can use, the most powerful electric attack of all! And it's the very same move that I beat you with last time, Trip."

Trip's eyes widened as he remembered the raw electricity Pikachu brought down on Serperior 9 years ago.

"Thunder!" said Trip. "But the electricity from that move came from Pikachu back then! Are you saying that Pikachu's gonna use a move like that when he's held still by my Leech Seeds?"

"Yes." said Ash boldly. "In my years with Pikachu, we've learned a couple things. We learned that Thunder can be executed by using nature's electricity itself, causing a bolt to come from the _sky _instead of Pikachu! Don't believe me? Let us demonstrate! Pikachu, Thunder!"

From the tight grip of the leeching vines, Pikachu simply inhaled deeply, and then exhaled with a mighty battle cry. A thunder cloud began to form above the battlefield, and to Trip's utter shock (no pun intended) a colossal bolt struck the ground just a few feet from Serperior. Trip's jaw dropped; if it had been aimed correctly, there was no way Serperior would have been able to dodge, considering its paralysis.

"That's the problem." said Ash. "It's very hard for Pikachu to aim, and it takes lots of his energy. He can only fire 4 of those. That means he's still got three more chances to it your Serperior."

"That's if the Leech Seed vines don't drain his energy before he can launch all three." countered Trip.

"Oh they won't. Pikachu will hold out long enough for all three, and when he finally hits, no amount of leeched energy will save your Serperior from fainting."

* * *

"Oh man, this is too intense..." sighed Serena, backing up from the screen. "Ash is really gambling here. If Pikachu misses all three of those Thunder attacks, the little he'll have left will be absorbed by Serperior... I don't know if I can watch..."

Red put his hand on Serena's shoulder. Interpreting this as his way of comforting her, Serena giggled.

"Oh Red, I'm not _that _worried, you don't need to try to comfort m-"

Red's head slowly leaned back, his eyes squinting. He then sneezed, letting go of Serena's shoulder immediately afterwards.

* * *

"It's all chance now, huh?" asked Tracey.

"Yes." answered Cilan with a nod.

"I hope Pikachu can pull this off..." said Clemont, clearly nervous. "Who knew Trip's Serperior would give Ash's Pikachu this much trouble?"

"Yeah, I expected Ash to beat Serperior with relative ease like the rest of Trip's pokemon... but no, this battle seems to be perfectly even." analyzed Max, adjusting his glasses. "Both of their pokemon have gotten a few good hits in, and it seems like these next few seconds are going to decide it all... both sides have the other worried. Ash has the fact that Serperior's paralyzed and that Pikachu can still attack. That's what he's got going for him. Trip is counting on the fact that he's draining Pikachu's energy, and Pikachu's attack has low accuracy. It's really interesting... they both should be terrified right now."

May simply watched Pikachu, every cell in her body hoping to Arceus that Pikachu manages to land a blow.

* * *

"Goopapoop, Matt, I don't know if my old heart can handle this type of stress!" exclaimed Reggie, dabbing the sweat off his head with a napkin. "Who would've thought the last moments of this epic battle would be spent in a game of chance?"

"Nobody, I'm _sure_." answered Matt. "Now, much suspense our hearts shall _endure_... Shit, that rhymed didn't it? I mean, um, yeah Reggie, this is really intense."

"Just look at the two trainers stare each other down!"

Ash and Trip were indeed staring at each other. The only thing left for Ash to do was order Pikachu.

"Pikachu." said Ash, still staring at Trip. "Thunder."

"Pika..." inhaled Pikachu, another storm cloud appearing over the battlefield. "Chuuuuuu!"

The bolt came down, missing yet again. It was the same distance away from its target as the first attempt.

"Just two more chances, Ketchum." said Trip, trying to hide the relief in his voice. "Can your Pikachu do it?"

"Pikachu." said Ash, eyes narrow. 'Thunder."

Pikachu winced as he formed yet another black cloud over the arena. Once again, the mighty Thunder came crashing down, only to miss Serperior by an even larger margin than that of the first two tries.

"Hm, just one more try, Pikachu." jeered Trip. "But how can you do it when you're missing each time? You weren't even close on that third one."

"Pikachu, I know you can do it." assured Ash. "We're not going to let them beat us. You're not letting Serperior take your victory! I believe in you, so Thunder, let's go!"

The fourth thunder cloud of the day appeared, preparing a nasty bolt to unleash. Trip looked at the cloud. Serperior looked at the cloud. Ash looked at the cloud. Everyone in the crowd looked at the cloud. The only one not looking at the cloud was Pikachu, and that's because his eyes were shut in pure concentration. This was it. This was what would decide it all.

"KAAAAAAAA!" cried Pikachu, letting the bolt loose.

The magnificent yellow crackle of energy zipped down from the storm cloud, landing so close to Serperior that the entire crowd gasped in unison. The resulting puff of dust hid the results of the attack from everyone, forcing them to wait for it to clear up. And when it did, they all were amazed to see the result.

Trip grinned; it missed.

But even more surprising, Ash grinned as well.

"Pikachu, do it!" ordered the raven-haired C.E.O.

"Do what?!" roared Trip, tired of Ash's tricks. "What can he do?! He's out of energy!"

"You _thought _he was!" cackled Ash proudly, confusing just about every person in the stadium. "When I told you about Thunder, I left out a couple things. Like the fact that with each miss, Pikachu's accuracy gets higher and higher!"

"What nonsense are you saying?! Your Pikachu used all 4 of his Thunders, he's done. It doesn't matter if his accuracy had gotten higher! He can't attack anymore!"

"That four Thunder thing... It was just a bluff Trip." revealed Ash, crossing his arms triumphantly. "The most Thunder attacks Pikachu can deliver from the sky is not four... but five! And now he's got the perfect aim to take down Serperior!"

"NO! BULLSHIT! NO!" bellowed Trip, growing red in the face.

"Yes, no shit, yes." replied Ash, pointing to Serperior. "Pikachu, THUNDER!"

The largest storm cloud yet materialized above, thunder claps booming from it. Trip stared up at the cloud. It was over. The bolt came rushing down, and this time, it hit Serperior head-on. Like the previous Thunder strike, a cloud of dirt rose into the air, hiding Serperior's status. But Trip, Ash, the crowd, and the referee already knew what it was going to be. The cloud cleared up, revealing Serperior, who was still conscious, though heavily damaged.

"Serperior...?" asked Trip, a small glimmer of hope in his voice.

Serperior's eyes began to narrow more and more until they were fully closed. The regal grass serpent then collapsed, defeated.

"Serperior is unable to battle!" announced the referee. "The winner is Pikachu! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is our victor!"

* * *

"YEAH! THERE YOU GO, ASH!" hollered Serena, jumping out of the bed. Unfortunately, the rather abrupt movement caused a small wave of morning sickness to kick in. The nausea caused by this sat her right back down, leaving her to regret ever standing up. "Ughhhhh..."

Red sighed and put himself next to Serena, allowed her to lean on him. But instead of being flattered by his kindness, Serena glared at him.

"You did this to me!" she growled. "It's because of YOU that I'm like this!"

Completely unprepared for this, Red could only stare at Serena as she blamed him for her suffering. Sure, he expected her to say something like that eventually, but not _two months in_. If she was already snapping at him over the stresses of being pregnant, what would she do by the 8th or 9th month? The thought terrified Red, it terrified him to no end.

"How come you agreed with me when I said we should have a baby?!" yelled Serena, still quite flustered. "Why didn't you say no?! No, wait, I know why! Because you don't have to carry the kid for 9 months! All you have to do is have a good ol' time with me one night and then just watch for the next 9 months as ANOTHER HUMAN BEING grows inside of me! But wait, it get's better! While I'll be giving birth to your child, you'll just awkwardly be sitting there, twiddling your thumbs! UGHHHHH!"

While Serena had been on her rant, Red had thought of the perfect way to calm her down... or at least trigger a mood swing that would switch her from livid to happy. He'd done it thousands of times over the years they'd been together, and it always worked. He put him arm around her and held her close.

"Don't you dare pull me close in a... warm... inviting... embrace..." said Serena, slowly losing the anger. By the time she was fully leaned against Red, she was fine again. "Oh man, if I'm all moody like this... I wonder how psycho May will be when she starts experiencing the 'Miracles of Life'... She's already batty enough as is."

Red smiled, realizing that Ash was most definitely going to have it much _much_ worse when it came to having the first child. But he knew Ash would be able to handle it. He seemed to have a certain patience when it came to May, a patience that was rarely lost.

"I hope Ash goes through with it..." said Serena. "If all goes as planned, he should be asking her any minute now."

* * *

The Leech Seed vines around Pikachu withered away, freeing the mouse. Completely exhausted, Pikachu waited for Ash to come pick him up, which the latter did fairly soon after.

"Good job, bud." said Ash, scratching behind Pikachu's ears. "Okay, now all we have to do is shake Trip's hand, say it was a good match, find May, and... yeah."

With Pikachu retrieved, Ash walked to Trip, who was kneeling beside Serperior. He seemed to say a few words to the pokemon before returning it to its ball. By the time the red light had absorbed the grass serpent, Ash stood before the Unova Champion, his hand outstretched.

"Thanks." said Trip, grabbing Ash's hand.

"That was a great battle Trip." said Ash honestly. "Serperior sure has gotten strong."

"Yeah..." said Trip. "Don't get cocky now, Ketchum. We're gonna have a re-rematch one day, and I'll-"

"Yeah cool whatever, k thanks bye." said Ash, walking away._  
_

"What?! Hey! Let me finish!"

"No time!"

* * *

May, Cilan, Clemont, Tracey and Max watched as Ash left the battlefield.

"Well, I guess its over." said Tracey, standing up. "I guess we should go find Ash."

"No." said May, standing up. "Everyone else go to the car... I'll find him."

"Are you su-"

May slowly turned to the four young men, and with one look, they each realized the car would probably be the safest place to go. All four of them left their seats in a single file line, none of them daring to look back at the brunette they left behind.

"Ash is sooooo dead." said Max.

"Yes." answered Cilan with a nod.

* * *

_"Okay, this is it. I find her, apologize for leaving her like that last night, and end the apology by getting down on one knee and popping the big question. Easy enough, right?" _thought Ash, rushing his way through countless people. _"Only problem is, I can't find her!"_

Finding May had already proven to be a difficult task, but it was made even worse by the multiple people that were stopping him so they could ask questions. Some were journalists, some were fans, and others were stalkers.

"Mr. Ketchum, now that you've claimed victory and crushed Trip Shooty's hopes and aspirations, what's next?"

"Can you autograph my collarbone with this super-permanent marker?!"

"Will the next Pokemon games feature crossovers with other popular games and creatures like Duel Monsters and Digimon?"

"What brand of toothpaste do you use?!"

"I AM NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW!" yelled the raven-haired C.E.O. "WHY CAN'T YOU PEOPLE ASK TRIP STUFF?!"

"Because he lost and nobody cares about him!" replied a news reporter.

"While that is an extremely valid point, I'm still not answerin-" Suddenly, Ash someone behind him grab the collar of his shirt, pulling him backwards. "Gahhh!"

Ash tried to wriggle free, but whoever this person was, their grip seemed to be unbreakable. The person dragged Ash away from the crowd, something that Ash didn't really have a problem with. What he had a problem with was the fact that he was being dragged away by someone. Right as he was about to ask the person who they were and tell them that he was going to get a restraining order if they ever touch him again, the person let go of Ash's collar, tossing him against the wall. The back of Ash's head hit the wall.

"Oww..." he groaned, slowly opening his eyes. Surprised brown ones met angry blue ones; it was May. Ash, making what was probably the worst decision of his life, grinned. "May, I found you! Well really, _you _found _me, _but whatev-"

May slapped Ash's face.

"Ow." said Ash, rubbing his face.

"Apologize!" commanded May.

"I was going t-"

May slapped him again.

"Ow!"

"Apologize!"

"If you'd just let me finish, th-"

The back of May's hand collided with Ash's face once more.

"APOLOGIZE!"

"I'm sorry!" apologized Ash. "Please, no more slappin-"

Deciding to give Ash a break, May slapped the left side of his face instead instead of the right.

"WHAT WAS THAT ONE FOR?!" asked Ash incredulously.

"Tell me why you're sorry!" ordered May.

"I'm sorry because I left you last night! That was totally the wrong thing to do! You were really upset and it was something you really wanted to discuss and I left because I'm such an idiot and blah blah bliggity blah! Okay? I'm sorry, May. I really am."

May raised her hand to slap again... but realized if she did again, she probably be crossing the fine line between justice and abuse. Instead, she decided to give Ash a hug. Ash hugged her back, running a hand through the brunette's hair.

"Never do that to me again." said May quietly. "I felt so abandoned last night... you just left me..."

"I can promise you now... I will never leave you again." assured Ash. "May, I have something I want to say to you... But... let's go to a more private area. I don't want anyone to interrupt this."

"Okay..." said May, pulling away from Ash's embrace. "Where to?"

"I think I know a good spot."

...

"May, do you remember my first battle with Trip?" asked Ash, looking around.

He had led May back into the battlefield, which was completely empty. Trip had left, and there was no one in any of the stadium's seats. Right on the edge of the battlefield was a small table, where Reggie McGoobersplatt and Matt the Average Commentator had sat. Of course the two men were no longer there, which meant their seats were open. Ash sat in one, and May sat in the other.

"Of course I remember your first battle. That's... that's when we became real friends because then we got ice-cream afterwards and then everyone became friends... and then Halloween came around and Kenny sent his Machoke after us."

"Oh yeah, Kenny..." said Ash. "I almost forgot about how he almost killed me. I wonder how he's been..."

"Well, after he got arrested and all he was sent to a mental home... I remember hearing a few things a couple years ago about him getting out of there relatively sane and becoming a productive member of society... so I guess he's fine now."

"Well he hasn't tried to kill me again, so I guess it's true." joked Ash. The two laughed for a while, but eventually Ash stopped, remembering what he brought May back into the stadium for. "Damn... that was so long ago."

"It really was. So much has happened since then... we went to college... Pokemon Blue became a legitimate thing... Red became a professional soccer player... I went to coordinating school... *sigh* time flies, huh? And to think... who knows how much of this would've happened if you didn't bump into Serena and I on that first day of Junior year?"

"All I know is that things would be pretty different than they are now. I also know," said Ash, reaching into his pocket. "That I might not have had the greatest girl any guy could ask for by my side the whole time."

Ash's hand clutched the box in his pocket.

_'This is it..."_

"Oh Ash..." said May, smiling. "You're so-... What are you doing?"

Ash was no longer sitting next to May. Instead, he was down on one knee. May's eyes widened.

"Oh, y'know, just something I should've done a while ago." said Ash, pulling the box out of his pocket with shaky hands. "May Maple... I love you. I love you more than you could ever imagine, and there's no other woman on this planet that I could ever fathom spending the rest of my life with. Through everything, through thick and thin... it's always been you and only you that I can go to for the right motivation. You're the only woman I'd ever ask these next two questions. Could you make my life complete by giving me the honor of being your husband? Will you marry me?"

It seemed like time stopped as Ash waited for May to answer.

"Ye- y-ye yyyyeeee..." stammered May as she began to stutter and babble, her mind and soul far too happy to formulate words. It was such an overload that a mandatory time out was needed, so instead of giving Ash an answer, May fainted.

...

May's eyes slowly opened.

"Huh?" she asked, looking around groggily. "What happened? Did I faint?"

"Yeah." chuckled Ash.

"Why?"

"Because I proposed." answered Ash.

May fainted again.

...

May's eyes slowly opened.

"Don't faint again." said Ash.

"I... I wont." said May, rubbing her eyes. "Okay, let's continue where we left off. Yes Ash, I will marry you."

Ash sighed in relief. It was finally done. He reached for May's hand, and took the ring out of the box. It had a silver band, an emerald in the center, with smaller rubies and sapphires surrounding it.

"Oh Ash... it's beautiful..." said May, absolutely adoring the ring.

"Not as beautiful as you are." said Ash, well aware of how cliche the line was.

"Ohh... this is amazing. I love you Ash. I almost feel like fainting again..." sighed May, leaning on Ash's shoulder. "Speaking of that... how long was I out?"

"About half an hour the first time, and then 20 minutes the second time." said Ash, putting his arm around not his girlfriend, but his fiance.

"Uh oh..." said May, leaning away from Ash to open her purse. It didn't take long for her to pull out a car key. "Heheheh... crap."

"What?"

* * *

Four young adults stood in the parking lot, baking in the hot sun.

"Why? Why did I hand May the car keys when we found our seats...?" muttered Max, wiping the sweat off his head. "I'm so dumb..."

"Yes." answered Cilan, nodding his head. Max, Tracey, and Clemont all glared at Cilan.

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

***sigh* and that's the end of Pokemon: Brotherhood. I thank you all for reading, and I thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Every one of them puts a smile on my face, and without you all, I wouldn't be the writer I am today!  
**

**And um, oh yeah... THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE EVERYONE! The first chapter of "Pokemon: The Fellowship of the Aura" is up now, so go check that out if you're interested! I know there's people that actively avoid Aura stories... but come on, you guys know me. It won't be the average run-of-the-mill Aura story, I can promise that! **

**Have a nice life and thanks for reading,**

**~DarkSlash9**


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